The Facing Side of the Coin
by kochan1
Summary: PostDOA2 PreDOA3: Hayate, Kasumi and Ryu undertake a mission in Gifu to put a Demon to rest. Things don't go as planned. A journey of discovery for Hayate about his people, himself and those closest to him. As fitting with Canon DOA story as I can get it.
1. Mission of Mercy: The Wind, The Mist, Th

Standard Boring Disclaimer: I (still) don't own Tecmo. I own half the characters mentioned in the story, the other ones you should recognise. Too bad I can't swap.

**The Facing Side of the Coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 1: Mission of Mercy - The Wind, the Mist, the Falcon

  
  
  


The scarred, tortured walls of the Hida Limestone Cave loomed forth from the darkness, glowing an eerie purple from the glow stick he held out before him. The fouled air itself was dank and heavy, an assault on his senses. as he drew in what he had to before expelling it. Even the bats had chosen not to reside this deep in, knowing that whatever lay within the bowels of these caves was not to be disturbed. 

Hayate frowned as he noted the stalacmites increasing in number. Most of them were large enough to crush a man's head in a fall. A light twist at the strap at his shoulder and he tightened the sword about the jacket of his dark combat Gi. "So tell me more about this demon, Ryu?" called the Mugen Tenshin Shinobi Clan leader. 

His best friend and ally Ryu Hayabusa came forward, easing the buckles about the kevlar chest plate he wore. "Well, he's fat, he's got a big white beard, wears a red suit and rides around in a sleigh with a whole lot of reindeer." 

Hayate could see the grin on Ryu's face from the corner of his eye. "I wasn't talking about Bankotsubo, Ryu." said Hayate, referring to their last common foe, a smirk spreading across his lips. The Tengu Bankotsubo had succumbed to corruption of the soul and turned against his own kind and man alike, seeking little more than utter chaos in his destructive wake. The battle hadn't been easy, but they had prevailed. 

A soft giggle echoed from the side, bringing Hayate's thoughts back to the present. He turned to catch Kasumi's warm smile, returning one of his own. His sister seemed to enjoy it when Ryu and him shared their personal jokes in her presence, seeing as the two men never conversed as such when others were about. 

He watched her panther-like movements, shadowing his own in silent, graceful steps not far behind, stepping where he stepped, not straying from his path. The ceremonial knee-length silk Gi flowed like a blue mist about her as she moved, her silken waist-length ponytail a sensual compliment. The Gi was cut high above the hip at the sides, providing for an outfit of deadly distraction with the white, thigh-high stockings she chose to complete it with. The Gi had once belonged to their late mother Ayame, and Kasumi refused to wear anything else whilst on a mission. Who was he to deny her that? 

He turned back to Ryu, the Hayabusa Shinobi sliding one finger up to ease his headband as he spoke, "He's known as Hoteinokouken. Served the Tengu as the King's personal guardian. Seems he was cursed when Bankotsubo slew his master. He's rotting from the inside, soul first, becoming more undead with each day that passes. When it all but consumes his mind, the curse will have him leave these caves and seek to spread itself." Ryu paused to clear his throat, taking a breath, "We can't allow that. The pain's already driven him insane, and unless we stop him in time, well..." he shook his head, "We won't be able to." 

Hayate frowned again, "Undead?" it all begin to make sense now, "That's probably why he's down here then." he fingered the dark scarf at his neck as he continued on his descent. "The oxygen content gets lower the deeper you go. He must have retreated to the very depths of these limestone caves to slow the curse's effect." 

Ryu let out a quiet 'hmph' and a shrug, "Good for him then." 

"Not for us." said Hayate, avoiding a pool of foul smelling water with a small leap, watching as the others did the same. "We need the oxygen a lot more than he does. Worse than that, the carbon dioxide level is more than likely to be lethal down there. We'd have a few minutes, maybe less before we start feeling the effects." He held up a finger in assertion, "That's assuming we're lying still, which isn't very likely when you're trying to lay a demon to rest." 

His best friend's turn to frown, arms folded as he paused, "And how do YOU know so much about this?" came Ryu's questioning tone. 

The Tenshin Mon Shinobi smirked as he turned, holding a fist to his chest, "I went to College, you didn't." This moment was rare. more often than not it was Ryu that played the lecturer's role. 

Ryu chuckled and rolled his eyes, following at his side once again, "Anyway, he's reportedly like a Western Griffin. Imagine a twenty-foot long, winged lion armoured at the head and body. Only weak spot at the neck, or so Toyoma says." 

"Toyoma? He's from..." Hayate's eyes narrowed as he wracked his memory. 

Ryu nodded, "The Otoshi clan. They sent a team of five men in here. He was the leader." he paused for a breath, "Toyoma was the only one who returned. He's the reason we have what we have on Hoteinokouken" 

"Five huh?" Hayate let out a chuckle, "What sort of difference are the three of us going to make apart from providing Hoteinokouken a female for his supper instead?" 

The Hayabusa Shinobi shrugged, waving an open palmed, gloved hand before him. "Well, the Hayabusa and Mugen Tenshin clans seem to be running on a better stream of luck these days." He jested with a cheshire grin on his face. Ryu glanced back a moment, then leaned a little closer, "That's the other thing, why **her**?" he whispered. 

Turning back, Hayate met the concerned gaze of his sister's soft, doe-like eyes as she kept pace several steps behind. A smile and gentle shake of the head to reassure her and he faced Ryu once more, "Ayane isn't mature enough for this and as it is, she has her own demons to excise. Besides, there's no way Genra would have approved . Zwei would be the natural choice, but you and I both know that she can't be trusted...at least not at this point in time." He let out a long drawn sigh, allowing it to trail into his next sentence, "Sooo...that leaves you, me and Kasumi. And I'd like to think Kasumi's safer down here with us than up there with half of my clan scouring the countryside for her." His walking slowed and he came to a stop, the cave now at an end. 

Silence came over Hayate as he peered over the immense, vast pit that mawed open before them. The glow from the lightstick seemed to hesitate in fear before seeping in, hampered by the mist that stood guard over the blackness like a lingering breath of poisoned air. A hundred million years ago, this had been an underground sea. Now it was dry, it's soul barren, leaving a dark void that threatened to swallow whole anything, anyone fool enough to enter. 

Ryu sucked in a deep breath as he regarded the same, "Personally, I'd rather take my chances up there." he smiled, "After all...they're only men." 

Hayate felt soft fingers entwine with his own, a gentle squeeze as Kasumi joined him. "Onii-Chan. He's down there isn't he?" she echoed his thoughts in her sweet, quiet tone. 

He tucked the light stick into his belt with his free hand to secure it. "Yes, he is." He nodded, then returned the squeeze at her hand with his own 

"He knows we're here." she whispered without taking her amber eyes from the void below. Hayate didn't doubt her in the least; His sister's intuitive and perceptive skills were second to none. Indeed, her natural beauty was only one of the many gifts inherited from their late mother. 

Hayate thought to ask Kasumi if she wished to remain behind, but knew she wouldn't hear of it. "We'll go...together, yes?" he whispered, laying a gentle kiss at her forehead. Her soft smile took the place of her answer, and he assured himself that bringing her along would not be a mistake. 

A nod of acknowledgement to Ryu, and the Shinobi lowered himself over the edge to the first of many jagged ledges that stretched down beyond his sight, though he hoped not beyond his imagination. 

_'Dancing with the devil at his very own party.' _ he thought. _'Only we're not invited.'_

* * * *

**Author's notes**

Hida Daishonyudo (Great limestone cave) - An 800m (open to public) long cave located in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan. It was formed some 300 million years ago. Relatively touristy, but Ryu, Hayate and Kasumi access the lower, hidden parts of it via a different (secret) entrance. 

Mugen Tenshin/Hayabusa - 2 different factions of Ninjutsu. Hayate and Ryu are the respective leaders of these clans. Mugen Tenshin can be further split into the Tenshin Mon and Hajin Mon factions. (Sorry DOA fans - this is for those folks that don't know anything about DOA) 

Tengu - The Tengu are birdlike creatures characterized by their long beaks and wings. They have a man's body, arms, and legs. Sometimes Tengu of high status are depicted as having a red face with white hair and a long nose (Bankostubo). It is thought that Tengu may be descendants of the Yama no Kami, Mountain Gods, and are sometimes perceived as guardians of the forest. Like many Japanese Yokai (demons), the demeanor of the Tengu is not clear. Tengu are often depicted as mischievous creatures who amuse themselves by antagonizing Buddhist priests. They may kidnap them, incite them to think sinful thoughts of greed and pride, or by trick them into eating dung disguised as scrumptious food. The Tengu are commonly feared as using their powers of illusion and possession to abduct children. However, sometimes Tengu are depicted as benevolent creatures who act as teachers, bestowing their knowledge and power on Samurai warriors. 

(This information is taken from Elizabeth Lord's very informative Japanese Demon page here - http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/ehl9/)   
  
Hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! There will definitely be more chapters coming after this one, which I thought up and drafted in 1 1/2 hours in a McDonald's (Amazing where you get your best idea from sometimes). Enjoy! And feel free to drop a review if you'd like *^^* - Cheers!! Ko-chan 


	2. Mission of Mercy: Hors d'oeuvres

**The facing side of the coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 2: Hors d'oeuvres

  
  
  


They took the ledges in steps, keeping tight as a group. At long last, the cave floor rose up from the blackness below, illuminated by the light stick as they stood upon the last ledge. Hayate let out a weary sigh, the mission seeming to feel as though it was taking its physical toll on him. The air had thickened almost to the extent of becoming a thick, soupy tar filling their lungs. He could sense a dry, acidic taste strengthening in his mouth, hinting at the steep increase of Carbon Dioxide in the air. Fishing a Butane lighter from his pocket, he flicked the flint wheel, watching the nozzle ignite after two or three attempts. The lighter flared to life, kept burning with only the smallest of flames. 

Hayate knelt down, watching the flame extinguish. He smiled to Ryu, motioning him on, watching as his best friend dropped off the ledge in silence. A gentle nod of the head, his signal for Kasumi to come forth. She did so, kneeling beside him, eyes incandescent with curiosity in the purplish glow of the light stick, "Hai...Onii-Chan?" 

"Watch." whispered Hayate as he held the lighter between them, flicking the flint wheel to bring it aflame once more. He lowered his hand in a slow, smooth fashion and winked. Kasumi blinked, seeming to find nothing out of the ordinary as she watched. But then she gasped as the flame came detached from the lighter an inch, then two as he continued to lower it. 

Hayate moved it to the left and then to the right in slow motion, watching his sister's eyes widen as she was mesmerized by the trailing flame floating in the air. "Ho, ho, hotaru koi, atchi no mizu wa nigai zo._(Come firefly. Over there the water is bitter.)_ he half-sang, half-whispered with a gentle smile, bopping his head to an inaudible rhythm. 

His younger sister let out a giggle, "Kotchi no mizu wa amai zo; ho, ho, hotaru koi, ho, ho, yama michi koi. _(Over here the water is sweet. Come firefly, come. Show the way to the mountain.)_" she answered in her own hushed voice, hands cupping around the tiny flame as though it were an actual firefly. 

Her smile, the angelic tone of her feminine laugh, the fascination upon her soft features as the flame's reflection danced in her eyes; they brought him back to another time, a better time, a time past when they were innocent children, smiled upon by fate. 

But as the flame flickered out, the reverie ended and the present caught up with him once more. He was a man of twenty-three now, she very nearly a woman at seventeen. No longer were they children dancing with fireflies in the dark. Real danger lay in wait below and they had to face the gravity of the situation. 

"Kasumi." he whispered her name. 

"Hai." she acknowledged, locking his eyes with her own pools of soft brown. 

"Two things I want you to promise me." He spoke to her just as though they were in training, a hand gentle at her shoulder. "Firstly, I don't want you to over exert yourself. Be mindful of your breathing and your pulse. You wall hop a lot, I've told you that before. Stay on the ground a little more today." 

Her doe eyes blinked once before she replied with a gentle nod. 

"The second thing I want you to remember is to remain calm, no matter what happens." His gaze intensified, his tone tightening, a touch more serious. "Promise me." 

Kasumi nodded once more, "Mmm, I understand, and I promise." she patted at his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it with a smile, softening the situation, lightening his heart. Hayate nodded in satisfaction, then like Ryu, dropped the last few feet to the bottom of the cave from the ledge. 

The Hayabusa Shinobi was already waiting to the side, arms folded as he leaned against the tortured wall of the cave, staring at the darkness further within. 

"Air is stale down here." stated Ryu without turning his head back. 

"Mmm, oxygen is low, maybe down to about fifteen percent." Hayate flashed the lighter to life once more, showing Ryu its diminished flame. "It's barely staying on." 

The other man kept silent, as though lost in thought. "Your breathing's already slowed." continued Hayate. 

Ryu's voice had an flat tone about it, "You train in high altitudes as well, you know it's normal." 

Hayate knew there was something plaguing his friend. Their long-term friendship had always counted on them being upfront with each other, and this time was no different. "What's on your mind, Ryu." he asked. 

The Hayabusa shinobi turned back, regarding him with the slightest of frowns in the dim light, "I'm more concerned about **Your** mind, Hayate. Shinobi of our caliber don't allow for anything to cloud their judgments on the field." He paused, bowing his head as he inhaled and sighed, continuing with a softer tone, "Much as Irene and I compliment each other so well, There are reasons I don't bring her along on missions." he motioned towards the ledge where Kasumi crouched in wait. "You're stronger with her, you're stronger without her." 

Hayate looked aside, a frown of his own at his brow, unable to find a reply. Indeed, what had occurred in Fukui ***** had been difficult to push from his mind. Kasumi was his foremost concern for now, neither Ryu nor he had any doubt of that. 

The Mugen Tenshin Leader sucked in a deep breath, "I'll take care of it." he said with a subtle nod, swirling what little saliva there was in his mouth. 

He turned, just able to make out Kasumi's form as she knelt on the lowermost ledge behind them, awaiting his command. A nod from him and she descended without a sound, trailing them several feet behind as they continued into the cave's depths. 

********* 

The passage opened out to a large, clear room about a hundred feet across. Fallen rocks and spikes scattered about the cave floor revealed themselves as Hayate swept the light stick across the air before him. The stench of death clung to the scarred limestone walls stretching up fifty or so feet, meeting at the stalagmite infested ceiling. With numerous high leaps, the Mugen Tenshin Leader ascended a series of ledges to survey the room from above. 

"They tried to take him in the caves. " said Ryu as Hayate returned. The Hayabusa Shinobi pointed to three other passages at the far end of the room. He then knelt to inspect a thrown Shaken here, a discarded sword there, remnants of a battle fought, a battle lost. "From what Toyama said, they didn't stand a chance. These are the demon's grounds, he knows them well." 

"They would've done better out here." stated Hayate before turning to the girl who had remained quiet at his side. "Kasumi, you'll find the demon in the caves with Ryu. As the swiftest of us, your objective will be to lead him into that area. " He indicated two large broken rocks several feet apart with his finger. "You are **Not** to engage him unless I give the word." his voice was firm, even as the reluctance to use his sister as demon bait gnawed at him. 

His sister acknowledged with a nod, "I understand." she whispered. 

Hayate nodded as well, then swept another gaze over the darkened openings at the end, "Those passages." he pointed at each of them in turn, "Hitotsu, Futatsu, Mitsu. There's a ledge above the second one; I'll be atop it. When Kasumi takes him into the centre, I'll drop that spike." He pointed at an immense, ominous-looking stalagmite that was six to eight feet in diameter, looming high over the centre of the room. "That might incapacitate him long enough for you to do some real damage". 

Ryu acknowledged, "I'll go spearhead as always." a nod. "As mentioned, he's very sensitive to light; Drop a flash to his left when we get him out here and I'll flank him." He reached back to grip his sword handle a moment. "This one's been starved of attention." 

Hayate grinned, "Hmph, can't even take care of a sword, like hell I'm going to leave my sister in your care." 

Their chuckles filled the cave and Hayate caught a glimpse of Kasumi's shy smile, her gaze dropping, the sweetest of blushes upon her soft cheeks. 

"I'll show you a thing or two myself, college boy. Watch and learn." said Ryu with a smirk. 

Hayate returned a fake sneer in jest, then tipped his finger at his temple, confident in his mind. Ryu's prowess with the sword was known to be without equal amongst all of the Shinobi clans. Countless foes, man and demon alike had fallen victim to his skills and Hayate had little doubt that the Hayabusa Shinobi would add yet another to his tally tonight. 

"Last thing, much as it isn't fun to talk about." Hayate turned to the passageway from which they had entered. "Should two of us fall, the last remaining person is to return to the surface at all costs and contact Irene as soon as possible. She'll know what has to be done." He kept his gaze on Kasumi as he said this, making sure there was no misconception about who that person was to be. 

Kasumi bit her lip, head bowed, her silence her disagreement, yet perhaps knowing that any protest would be in vain. Ryu remained silent no less, Hayate knowing the Hayabusa Shinobi would have it no other way. If and when it came to the time though, Hayate prayed his sister would have the strength to leave him behind. 

Then all of a sudden, the quiet they had had until now was shaken by a low growl resounding through the caves. The rumble startled them into defensive positions, until all was still again. 

"He's patient." said the Mugen Tenshin Leader with a small smile, glad that the demon had yet to make his grand entrance. 

"He's expecting more of the same." continued his Hayabusa counterpart in turn, hand rubbing at the back of his neck. 

Kasumi stared at the passages leading into the den, her eyes darkened with sadness, "He's...suffering. A lot" she whispered. 

"All the more reason for us not to keep him waiting." replied Hayate. He unclipped his Yumi (bow) from behind him with a quiet sigh, sliding it off with his Kevlar bound quiver. "We haven't much time. Let's finish this." he said, his two companions nodding in agreement. 

...The moment was nigh... 

**********   
********** 

**Author's Notes**

  
'Ghost' flame - This is a known phenomenon, often occurring in caves where the oxygen level is low and can vary quite some volume within a few inches (height wise). 

Hotaru Koi - A traditional folk song in Japan. Commonly sung by children in schools, even overseas. The name literally means 'Come Firefly'. 

Fukui *****- Chapter 10 - Unsent Letters.   
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=500795&chapter=10 

Hitotsu, Futatsu, Mitsu - First, second, third. I'm using it in a context similar to Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. 

Hayate's Bow - Some of you might have seen a picture off a promo clip for DOA3 (or even the clip itself) where Hayate is armed with a Bow. He practices Kyudo (Japanese Archery), but rather than using a traditional Bamboo Yumi, he has one modified with synthetic materials for strength and power. It also allows him to use specialized arrows that he makes himself. More on this another time. 

  
**Replies:**

Preacher:    
  
Re: Facing side - Sorry to have kept you waiting for as long as I have. Been past 2 months since an update of any sort, so here's hoping that I'll make up for it soon. If it seems a little slow for now, I can assure you it'll be picking up soon.   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - Yup Full Circle (Makes it sound like a book by Danielle Steele - shudder), it's the way I planned it from the start and I think I got what I intended so many months ago. Thanks for the compliment about the pairing (Don't mind if I take it as a compliment?), making that one work is a challenge yet (I find) so rewarding when you can get everything to fit. 

  
DOA2Kasumi: Yeah - I was starting to think I was dealing with the undead here *grin* Guess you're busy, just like everyone else. Thanks for the review - mucho appreciated as always (snug). Hope you're doing well with the next chap of your 'Cruise' story! 

  


Sea of Dreams:  - Whoa! Pretty much the longest review from anyone that I've received. Thanks so much. I'll have to agree with you on the stereotypical nature of the chars, but I'm guessing that too many authors have too little to draw from. Being a little bit of a movie buff tends to help for some fresh ideas, but the bottom line is that without experience (or at the very least a good understanding of the idea), it's difficult to portray something as being true to life (If that's what you're aiming for). Research of course, always helps.   
  
As for the idea of co-authoring, I'd be quite happy to go as a beta-reader for now if you'd like. We can always banter out a few ideas over email if you'd like. The Address is on my profile - feel free to drop us a line. Hope you had/are having a good time in the Japans? (Boy wouldn't I wish to go) 

  


Pyralis:   
  
Re: Facing Side - Heh - Hope I didn't disappoint. I tried to make Ryu a little more humorous on the side as I can see that in him. He always seems too deadpan on the surface and you don't tend to find out much else about him.   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - (smile) As mentioned with Preacher, it's getting it to work that's the challenge. Too many Hayate/Ayane fics out there as is. Nevertheless, hope you'll like it. It's an honor to be on someone's favorites, many thanks (bows head). 

  


Ravenmaster:   
  
Re: Facing side - Thanks. Sadly, I didn't manage to update it as soon as I would have liked. Here's hoping that's all going to change as off this chapter. (Hey, didn't I already say that for my previous fic?)   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - Hehe - that's fine. Just hope you enjoyed it. That's more what I write the story for after all, not so much the reviews. I guess it's nice to get feedback at times though. Thanks again for the compliments, I'll drop by to check you 'Resident Evil' fic at some point in time. 

  


Dark Angel:   
  
Re: Facing Side - Hey! Good to see you again. Aha..no - It IS 'Tenshin Mon' I 'd checked the Kanji out before with a friend.   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - Fraid that's it - for THAT fic. Hope the bowl of popcorn wasn't TOO large. Thank you, thank you (bows, curtsies). Oh but Yes please, I'm sure all of us are looking forward to something from ya! 

  


Supercharger   
  
Re: Facing Side - Thanks dude. As for Zwei - she's the same one in Finsternis. You picked up that it wasn't Kasumi though*wink* Ein, Zwei, Drei etc...   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - Why yes...just like Hayate/Ayane actually. Nothing special on the DOA fic site really (smile) 

  


Samus S   
  
Re: Unsent Letters - Hmm, you're right. It isn't spelt right. I can't even begin to put a finger on what it's meant to mean *^^* 

**Next chapter?** You can guess where it's all leading. Exactly how it's going to end? Might just surprise you*wink*. Stay tuned. Here's to an update within the next two weeks if all goes well. 


	3. MIssion of Mercy: Prima Mensa

**The Facing Side of the Coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 3: Prima Mensa

  
  
  


The air was stagnant, thicker than before, reminding Hayate of marshes and swamps he'd trekked through in the past. His clothing was soaked with perspiration, clinging to his body as though in fear. Death cried out to him from the passages beneath in impatience as he took a deep breath of the fouled air, expelling it slower than he would have liked to. Then he felt it; the cold rush gripping him from afar. 

_'Kasumi...'_ He raised his mask, readying the first arrow, the second held by its tail shaft at his little finger. That same rumbling growl returned, shaking the walls and ceiling as though the cave itself was coming alive, screaming in grief. The ledge on which he stood threatened to collapse upon itself as it shook, the Shinobi crouching lower to stabilise his stance. But then the rumbling ceased, replaced by an unsettling trundle. The passage beneath him emitted a purple glow and he watched as Kasumi burst from the opening. The Kunoichi sprinted towards the centre of the room, her ponytail and gi trailing behind her, light stick in hand. His stomach contracted as she stumbled, falling forward with a yelp to sprawl upon the ground just before the two rocks in the room's centre. The light stick skittered from her grasp into the far corner, shadowing her in darkness. But all of this he knew was intentional. The series of solid thuds that followed jolted his heart, shaking his very soul. Then there it was: An immense myriad of menacing shadows, shifting, undulating their way from the passage towards his sister's still form. "Prepare yourself, Kasumi." He mumbled, drawing the arrow back to his chest. His consciousness expanded to envelop his target, the dim shape of the stalagmite overhead growing more vivid by the moment. The growl that echoed through the cave from the beast was but a hum in his ears. From the corner of his eye, he saw the mass of shadows contract, then surge forwards as the creature pounced. The arrow left his fingers, streaking through the darkness as he averted his eyes. Kasumi herself would have leapt away at the last moment, leaving nothing less than a timed flash grenade where she once lay. They'd timed it to perfection: Hayate's RDX arrow detonating against the side of the rock above in a superheated orange blossom, warming his face, the explosion deafening, small portions of the rock whisking overhead as the concussive shock wave threatened to throw him backwards. His sister's flash charge illuminated the cave with harsh, burning light, blinding the demon, an irate roar filling the cave as the creature was driven back into the position he'd hoped for. Looking back the Mugen Tenshin Leader hissed in triumph to see the stalagmite broken into several tonnes of crushing limestone, hurtling down to smash upon the creature's back. The room shook once more with the impact of the rocks, the demon's bellows of pain. Hayate wasted no time, his second arrow already drawn, bowstring taut as he took aim to the side of the stunned beast, "Your show, Ryu." he thought aloud as the primed flare took flight. He shielded his eyes as the flare struck home, the blinding white light incapacitating the creature further. Placing his Yumi (bow) aside, he looked back and saw it now: Black death the size of a bus, scales where fur should have been, bloodied stumps that were once wings, a tail curled like a scorpion's, spiked and bulbous at the end. The undead remains of what had once been a noble and beautiful creature. From the rocks to the side came Ryu's shadow as the flare burned on, closing twenty paces in little more than the blink of an eye. Hayate watched his Hayabusa counterpart leap up several feet, flipping in mid air before bringing his blade down upon the beast's neck. The clash of steel against armour rang out through the cave, followed by an aggravated growl. Hayate hopped to a closer ledge, observing as Ryu ducked beneath the swipe of a massive paw as high as himself, closing in with his sword held in defence. The creature opened its massive jaws to crush him but Hayate knew the Hayabusa Shinobi had anticipated this, dive rolling forward beneath the beast. The demon reared up with a roar, a wash of dark fluid spraying from its throat as Ryu did his work. Then just as sudden as he'd struck, the Shinobi vanished into the shadows of the surrounding rocks once more. "Underside's weaker! But there's a crack at the top!" came Ryu's call. His turn, though he had no intention of repeating Ryu's tactic. Hayate steeled himself as he locked his gaze on his target, finding the point he'd been searching for. He sprung forth from the ledge, sword ringing out in anticipation as he drew it from it's sheath whilst descending. His aim was true, the sharpened point of the steel blade lancing between two plates of armour at the creature's neck. One hundred and sixty five pounds of his mass drove it deeper within the leathery flesh, striking between vertebrae...but not penetrating through to the spinal cord as he'd hoped. Steam vented from the wound, evidence that the blade's magical soul was burning the creature from within. The beast let out another roar, this one far louder. It bucked hard several times, causing Hayate to lose his footing. He hung on with one arm, seeing Ryu give chase as the demon charged towards the darker side of the cave. His grip tightened about his sword handle as his free hand reached into his sash for a concussion grenade. But before he was able to prime the cylinder, the creature rushed sidelong to crash into a large pile of rocks. Hayate felt the sword tear through demon flesh and muscle upon impact, and then he was sailing through the darkness, the dense cave air breezing past. His breath exploded from his lungs in a loud grunt as he struck the limestone wall back first with crushing force that would have killed a lesser man. His senses were blinded as he was left lying upon his back, every nerve in his paralysed body flooded with pain. But with practiced concentration he forced it away, adrenaline taking over to numb the sensations. Hearing swept back into his consciousness as the high pitched voice that was his sister's reached him from afar, filled with panic, jolting him back to life."Onii-san!" Hayate turned over, feeling as though he was moving in slow motion, just able to crawl to a crouching position, one knee bent as he leaned onto his sword for support. Vibrations, tremors, it was getting closer. He looked up to see the beast rushing at him, a maddened unholy rhinoceros bent on his destruction. The Shinobi panted hard, still winded from the impact, disorientated as his mind screamed for the oxygen that the air here had so little of. Tensing his legs, he prepared for an evasive leap at the last moment, for the worst if he was unsuccessful. Then he caught sight of the metallic glint from a facing ledge, the object flying through the air to pierce deep within the demon's eye. The ground quaked as the beast toppled upon it's side scattering rocks and pebbles alike, thrashing, roaring in agony. Turning, he found Kasumi's shadow descending to the cave floor from the ledge she'd launched the Shaken. Hayate couldn't help but wonder how she'd managed such a difficult shot under the circumstances. Nevertheless, praise came later. For now there was yet a lump of concern growing in his throat. "Stay the hell away, Kasumi!" he ordered with a wave of his hand, coughing from the pain in his lungs, tense with fear for his sister. Her silence was once again her acknowledgment and she remained kneeling, observing from her position. He lit the area with another flare, the scene devoid of colours, black and white like a nostalgic Fifty's film. He raised his sword to head level, advancing towards the fallen beast with cautious steps as Ryu emerged from the shadows, doing the same. "How is it." asked his friend when they were within earshot of each other. "Back massage from a rock." Hayate coughed again, feeling his breathing beginning to weez. "I'll be fine." _'...provided we get out of here soon.'_ He thought to himself. They came silent as the demon rose with a growl, lashing out at Ryu with its claws. Hayate watched, impressed as his friend deflected the blow with ease, moving in with a hard cross slash that drew a new spray of darkened blood and a chilling howl from the creature. It shrunk back against the wall, nursing an almost severed paw, its life essence spilling out onto the dry ground, clotting in an instant. "Armour's weakened. Shouldn't be a problem now." stated Ryu without a trace of emotion in his voice. Hayate nodded, not taking his eyes from the wounded creature. It cowered against the stone wall despite its size, the remaining eye darting left and right, a sure sign of nervousness. He could smell the curse begging to be freed from the creature, each breath it expelled speaking of the decay and rot that ran rampant within its body. But not for much longer, he thought, raising his sword for the final blow that would put the demon out of its misery, Ryu doing likewise. But the demon's eye stilled, neither at Ryu, nor at he, but dead ahead. Hayate felt the void in his stomach enlarge as he came to realise just what it had seen. The young Kunoichi in her hiding place at the far end of the cave, the one that had cost it an eye. A chance...for retribution. "Now Ryu!" he called, having no doubt of the creature's intentions. The demon burst forth, leaping into the air with unexpected speed as he jumped up to meet it, swinging his blade with all his concentration. Armour, flesh and bone succumbed to the magical potency of his sword as it left a grievous wound upon the underside that would do its work soon, but not soon enough. "Kasumi! Abunai! (Danger!)" Hayate shouted out as the beast landed some distance behind Ryu and himself, stumbling in pain, then dashing on towards Kasumi, mortally wounded, with no sense of self preservation. The situation couldn't have been worse. **********   
********** **Author's Notes** RDX - Royal Demolitions Explosive. A.K.A Cyclonite short for Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (Say that 5 times in a row really quickly *grin*) Stable but extremely powerful explosive. Commonly mixed with plastics (known as C-4) such that it can be molded for demolitions use and shaped charges by most Military and Terrorist groups around the world. Hayate makes his own arrows and the Mugen Tenshin clan have easy access to most weapons. Hayate's Sword - Yup, tis magic. More on this another time. **Replies:** Novaguyver: Well here you go! sorry it took 2 months though :P Preacher: Saint!!!? Not anymore - it's been 8 weeks I think. But I did post another story - just that it got deleted. Anyhows, here's a fix for now. check my author profile if you'd like to take a look at the one that got scrapped...hmm wait...can't remember if you did. Oh well, no matter - you've got the info *^^* Unknown: Thanks...keep reading. Einhardenoff: Thanks dude! I try to match the chapters according to what's happening though. Don't want to end up boring people yeah? Usually, it's about 1500 to 2000 words for me per chapter, anymore than that - I'd have to start putting a few more scene breaks in, which would prob mean another chapter (smile) Thanks for the suggestion though. As for ayane and Kasumi having Ki projectiles/Fireballs - I think that's just Ayane, Kasumi doesn't have those abilities...yet...*^^* TigerEyes: (smile) (Waves) Thanks for the review - means a million *^^* As for the laughter - well, we all want the girl to be happy no? Till next!!!   
  
  
  
Well thanks for reading! As you can guess, the battle isn't quite over yet. I decided to split one VERY long chapter into two as well...it was just too long. I wasn't happy with a little of the second part either. Don't worry - this won't extend out to a DBZ Saiyan level 6 powerup on each side 24 episode type battle. And seeing as the final draft for the 2nd half is already complete, yous shouldn't be waiting more than a week for it. Tiger eyes - hold me to that yeah? (smile) Till Next! Ko-Chan *^^* 


	4. Mission of Mercy: Secunda Mensa

**The facing side of the coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 4: Secunda Mensa

  
  
  


Hayate was losing the fight against fatigue; the lactic acid burned in his muscles, combined with the lethal level of carbon dioxide lowering the limits to which he could push his body. Ryu was faring better, but he could tell just by looking that his friend was labouring just as hard to breathe as they both gave chase. 

Kasumi had risen from behind the rock when the beast had discovered her. Hayate watched her lithe form vault back upon the wall then upwards out of harm's way as the creature pounced. A flip and a half-twist before her feet bounded off the demon's muzzle, landing her on a ledge above. The demon let out an angered roar at this mockery, turning to swing it's mace-like tail upwards and into the rock platform, reducing it to sand and falling debris in a loud crack. The Kunoichi was already on a neighbouring ledge, sprinting and leaping towards the next along the wall. 

_'Gods...Keep calm, Kasumi.'_ He begged of her in mind, gaining ground on the demon as it pursued his sister. But this time the creature slammed itself sideways into the wall beneath the fragile ledges, shattering every one. The impact brought them all down in an explosion of jagged rock and a cloud of suffocating dust. 

Hayate feared the worst as he dive rolled from under several loosened rocks spawned from the ceiling, fragments spraying into his back as they crashed down behind him. Exhaustion was racking every one of his nerves, slowing his body, blurring his vision. His eyes came wide as Kasumi slipped on her landing, her cry striking deep in his heart as she fell upon the bed of unforgiving rock. "Ryu! Stall him!" he cried, as the dust cloud expanded, sweeping over his sister. He primed his last flare and threw it into the corner for lighting. 

His lungs spasmed in pain with the onset of coughs as he ran through the cloud, his mask clogging in only a few breaths. Hayate tore it away, calling for his sister with what breath he could spare, sleeve held to his face. The dust only served to take away what little sight he had and he closed his eyes, finding Kasumi by instinct and the sound of her coughing. He knelt beside her curled, panting body to cradle it in his arms. Some distance away he heard Ryu clashing with the demon, steel striking armour once more. 

"So...so dizzy." Kasumi covered her mouth to stifle a dry wretch. "Feel so ill. Can't breathe. I'm sorry...so sor..." she murmured before he hushed her with a small kerchief over her nose and mouth. They crawled from the smothering cloud, lungs on fire, struggling to find relief in the oxygen starved air. 

"Inhale slow, deep." Hayate breathed, squeezing a hand at her arm in reassurance as they made their way to the cover of the large rocks in the centre. He grit his teeth, his vision speckled with stars; they had to finish this, fast. The Shinobi turned as the dust cloud begin to clear, seeing the silhouette of the beast facing them in the distance, its scorpion tail held high. 

"Hayate! Cover!" he heard Ryu's voice echo from across the room. Instinct screamed at him to get low and he pushed Kasumi down upon the ground, shielding her with his own body. A series of cracks sounded at the rock just above his head and he looked up to see several arrow-sized needles embedded in it. 

Spikes! With all his remaining strength, Hayate dragged his sister up and pushed her behind the cover of the rocks. He turned, seeing Ryu just manage to avoid the swipe of the barbed tail with a back-flip, the Hayabusa Shinobi being forced into a defensive position. With unexpected speed the tail angled in Hayate's direction as though the creature had a third eye there. He heard the projectiles this time, punctuating a series of gas like sounds as they streaked from the creature. Quick as he could, he rolled to the side, avoiding all...but one; he felt the tight kick in his thigh, grunting with the quick onset of pain and then numbness taking over a few seconds after. 

He cursed in mind as he crawled towards cover, _'poison'._

Kasumi let out a gasp, her voice shaking. "Onii-san!! Onii-san is hurt!!" she called out between pants, dragging him against one of the rocks to lie on his back. 

He stilled her hand before she was able to touch the spike. "No! It's poisoned!" he said, drawing a concerned whimper from her. He looked over behind them, watching Ryu fly back into the fray with explosive fury. The Hayabusa Shinobi leapt up at the curled tail, slashing once, twice, drawing new blood and hisses each time. He flipped back on landing, drawing his palm flat against his sword. A halo of ethereal flame came to sheathe the blade as Ryu slid a finger upward from hilt to tip. The Demon took the opportunity to slam its tail into the ground, blasting a cluster of rocks at Ryu, but all they found were a whirlwind of leaves. Hayate held Kasumi close, sucking in a deep breath as they watched Ryu reappear thirty feet above the beast, sword held high. 

"Kouryuu no Kaen!" echoed Ryu's voice through the cave as he brought the sword down and across his body in a diagonal slash. The flames leapt from his blade, forming a burning sphere three feet across, tripling in size as it hurtled towards the demon. Hayate felt a rush of triumph as Ryu's Dragon Fire Sphere struck the demon square in the head, engulfing it in flames, its screeches deafening. An end to all of this, at last. 

But it wasn't to be. Magical as it was, the fire still hungered for the oxygen it was starved of; the only explanation as Hayate watched it flare out only after a few seconds. He could feel the creature's pain becoming rage through its hisses. A chill crept down his back as Ryu stumbled on his landing with a grunt. His friend's body slumped in exhaustion, a hand to his head, evidence of the spell having drained him beyond capacity, the oxygen in the immediate area all but consumed by the fire. Hayate found his own body beginning to shake, able to still the tremors for now as he fought the poison. But he knew it was only a matter of time. 

"Ryu! In front of you!" Hayate cried, as the demon wound its barbed tail about. He watched the other Shinobi's blade glow blue, certain his warning had been received. But Ryu didn't move, perhaps he couldn't and Hayate could only look on in horror as the spiked mace end of the Demon's tail slammed into his friend with the force of a construction wrecking ball. Ryu's limp body was flung clear across the room, tumbling several times over before coming to rest face down on a pile of broken rock. His sword clattered against the wall close by, the blue glow fading from it. 

"Hayabusa-san!!" screamed Kasumi, echoing Hayate's shock, her voice broken by the choked sobs and coughs that caught in her throat. Ryu remained unmoving, unconscious, beyond hearing. But not so the beast, turning its head to growl at them in the sparse lighting. Its battle with Ryu had cost it both front paws and half its face, yet still it came, treading towards the siblings with menacing stomps. Hayate could only attribute its survival to the undead power that resided within. 

The Mugen Tenshin Leader pushed himself off the ground to take up a defensive position. But the world spun, gravity seeming to pull him in different directions all at once before he collapsed onto his back again with a grunt. Kasumi caught him, cradling his head as she wept, "Iya! Don't move...you'll only make it worse!" 

Hayate closed his eyes, the poison raging like acid through his system. His legs were already nonexistent, perspiration pouring from every pore in his body with the fever burning within. The Mugen Tenshin Leader made his decision, cutting his losses, locking the emotion far from his mind. The situation was desperate: If the Demon didn't take them, the cave would with its poisoned air...but not all of them. 

"Kasumi." he panted, taking her hand and tensing his grip. His eyes were intent on hers though he struggled to focus, nausea beginning to overcome him. 

His sister looked at him with a doomed expression, shaking her head in slow motion, already knowing the words before they left his lips. "Don't..." 

"You have to get to the surface." he managed, swallowing in silence. "You have...agh.." All his concentration wasn't enough, he was unable to fight the poison any longer. Hayate retched, turning over onto his side as the contents of his stomach surged forth. Gastric juices and undigested food burnt his throat, splattering upon the rocks as he vomited. 

Kasumi sobbed, taking hold of his shoulders as his stomach emptied. "Onii-Chan! Oh God...!" he felt the soft silken fold of her gi smoothing over his lips, her shaking fingers wiping away the spilt vomit. "Don't ask that of me..." she whispered. 

Hayate swallowed hard, his stomach tightening again, this time with fear for her. "You have to go! **Now!**" he said with insistence, emphasis on the last word as he pushed her hand away. 

"No! Not without you!" she took his hand again in attempt to lift him to his feet. 

He found his patience drained, frustration filling him. _Couldn't she see all that was at risk? How important her survival was? _With a hard push he shoved her away, causing her to fall back with a soft cry. His eyes shut tight, he couldn't meet the hurt look on her face. "We spoke about this Kasumi! I made it quite clear!" he shouted, voice tense with anger, every breath rasping. 

Kasumi wiped her tears away with her Gi, "Please, Onii-Chan! I can't..." 

"Damn it! Don't argue with me now, Kunoichi!" he retorted, "I trusted this duty to you! Now follow the order and leave!" Hayate shouted, directing a shaking hand at the exit. 

"I'm no longer Mugen Tenshin, I am not sworn to obey that." she whispered as he fell into silence, panting hard, lacking any more breath to shout. He felt her trembling arms about his own, "I lost you once before and I swore to myself never to let it happen ever again." she wept at his shoulder. 

Hayate knew the Carbon Dioxide coupled with the demon's poison was affecting his mind, his short temper prime evidence. He took another deep breath, forcing himself to relax, though still unable to stop the shaking. A second to force the fire from his voice. "There's a lot more at stake than just our emotions. The whole of the Tengu and mortal worlds." he shook his head, feeling at a loss, "Our friends, their families. I don't even have to..." he paused, gasping for air once more. 

"You're all the family I have left, all that matters. Without you, everything is worthless." Kasumi's voice was final, spoken from the heart, he knew that now, "Please, don't ask me to refuse death with you. I deserve that much, at least." 

The Shinobi forced his eyelids apart, turning to find the beast almost upon them. In the distance, the exit from the cave had been reduced to rubble from the tremors during the battle. His best friend lay unconscious, perhaps dying, maybe even dead. He himself was useless in this state, unable to move, let alone fight. Even if Kasumi were somehow able to flee the beast, she couldn't leave this cave alone...not in her state. She'd known it, just as he knew it now. 

The cave was now their tomb. 

The Demon stopped several feet away, the odour of charred flesh pungent. Its hideous maw opened before them, fangs and sharpened teeth amidst the black of melted bone and scale, beckoning. The roar that followed was overwhelming, the stench of death and decay spilling over the pair. 

His hand reached for the sword, but Kasumi's squeezed at his arm. "No."she whispered, "That won't help, Onii-Chan. She lowered her head, her voice just audible, "He wants me, just me...to carry the curse from here." 

Hayate didn't know how she knew this and didn't care, his rage swelling up in side of him once more. "Like Hell!" he spat, "He's not going to get you." But he knew just as well as Kasumi that they were out of ideas, out of luck, out of time. 

He reached under his scarf to wrench the one thing that would complete this; the coin pendant from his neck. The pendant that was given only to the leaders of his clan, to those of his family's blood, that was only to be used in the face of total defeat. _'Like now'_ he thought, thumb caressing over the raised etching of the coin, just as his mother had taught him as a child. This mission would command the highest of prices, but at least it wouldn't be a failure. 

The pendant came incandescent, drawing a shaking gasp from his sister as he clutched the shimmering ornament in hand. Her eyes were glazed from exhaustion, but he saw the fear beneath as she came to realise what he held, its immense power, its blind wrath; Shinobi, Kunoichi and Demon alike would all be consumed. Kasumi knew the incantation as well as he, whispering with him: 

"The mist swirls with the wind."   
"The cold fire leaves but ice."   
"The coin turns in the darkness."   
"Upon the light shalt thou know the price." 

A light breeze blew through the cave with no discernible source, a fog sweeping about the walls, closing in as the demon grew tense. Hayate stared it down with eyes of defiance, contempt as it prepared to lunge at them, the pendant growing brighter with every heartbeat. 

"I'm so scared..." his sister whispered, face buried in his neck, body shaking like his own. 

Hayate kissed her hair, accepting his fate, their fate. "Soon, there won't be anything to be scared of." he replied, voice hoarse. 

Another sob and she drew a deep breath, her voice broken, "Onii-Chan, I...I lov..." 

He closed his eyes, pressing a thumb over her soft lips before she could finish, knowing it would wrench his heart out to hear it now, "I know." he managed, his own voice almost failing him. 

The creature pounced and the pendant exploded in a flash of light as though in response. Even with their closed lids, the intense light burned his eyes. He pressed Kasumi close, hearing her whimper, "Think of Me." he breathed into her ear, a final tear cascading down his cheek. 

Time came to a stop as his senses faded one by one. The sweet scent of his sister's silken hair, the sound of her pants, the warmth of her smaller frame against his. 

Darkness took his mind, his consciousness slipping into the void. 

_'So, this is death'_ came his final thought. 

**********   
  
********** 

**Author's Notes** Ryu's Spell - Ryu's capable of a few Fire arts via the more mystical side of the Hayabusa arts. This one is known as the Dragon Fire Ball. If you've played the NG series you'll know it to compliment the Art of the Fire Wheel. Fire Wheel strikes at an angle upwards, the Dragon Ball angles downwards. Of course, this is a FAR more powerful version of the same spell. (But Ryu's had 6 years to perfect the thing *^^*)   
  
"Koryuu" is a Dragon that has ascended up to Heaven if you're interested. **Replies:** Tiger Eyes: Purely for you, my dear. Here it is. I actually quite like this push. One of my longest single chapters (would've been longer had I stuck it with the previous chapter as planned) and it's out in a week. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as the last (smile). I'm sure I'll be hearing from you via email so I'll save more of the response for that. Einhardenoff: And thanks for reading my friend. Hope this one sat just as well with you. After reading your review I decided that I'd get off my butt to check out Kasumi's ending - found it on DivX on Deathcom Multimedia. You're right - She does chuck a stun bomb of some kind into the forest. I watched it over and over again to figure out if it was actually a physical object but I think you're right - Kasumi DOES have the ability to throw some form of energy blast. But that's the DOA3 ending, this takes place between the end of DOA2 and the start of DOA3 (smile). So there - about 2500+ words for ya - happy this time? *grin*I hope you'll like it anyhows. Crystalline Tears: Kudos! Thanks for the time. And I hope a weeks not loo long *^^* You have Tiger Eyes to thank - she gotten me to do 2700 words or so in a week - which is like breaking the speed limit for me. AngelStarWingX: Good to see you back Guuuurl!!!! (High Five) Whoa, much as I appreciate you wanting to read the fic that much, PLEASE pass your exams and topics yeah? (Esp Hist). So there - updated. (smile) Cliff hangers? Well, they're a way to spurn a little interest no? (wink). And if you're wondering if this latest chapter's a cliff hanger? Depends on how you look at it *^^* Anyhows, good to see ya back (snuggle) hope you liked it. SeaOfDreams: Hehe, another blast from the past. Good to see ya dude. I've gotten your thoughts on email - will reply on there too. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Doomhammer: Whoa, whoa...watch the language a little buddy *^^* (There's females present) *grin* But hey - thanks for the comments.   
  
A few things though - I'm not THAT old: I'm still under 82 alright?   
  
There's Always room for improvement.   
  
Doujinshi? When I learn to draw one day *^^*   
  
Hope you liked this latest chapter (smile)   
  
  
  
(sigh) Well, I guess I held true to my promise - everyone give Tiger Eyes a big hand for keeping tabs on me (No we don't live together, but she's been keeping the pressure on via email). Fastest chapter yet - I'm proud of myself if you don't mind me saying. Let me mention that I don't believe I'll be able to update this quick again for quite sometime though.   
  
Nevertheless, some of you might be wondering where it's going to go from here. All I'll say is this - Facing Side was never meant to be a 4 chapter fic. You're about a 3rd of the way through. Director has NOT run out of budget ok? Anyhows, I'll see yous all next!!   
  
My Rant   
Ko-Chan 


	5. The Road Home: Heads

**The Facing Side of the Coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 5: The Road Home: Heads

  
  
  


_'Kasumi...'_

His sensations returned to him, bubbles rising from the bottom of a lagoon to pop upon reaching the surface; Hayate identified the sound of a jungle crow cawing from afar, a warm blanket atop his body, the welcome feel of a cotton futon beneath it. Even as it stung his eyes as he opened them, he couldn't be more thankful for the single ray of light that shined through a crack in the Shoji screen. Birds, light, Shoji; he wasn't in the caves any longer. 

_'Was this heaven?'_ The thought struck him with a moment of wonder and then an instant after, depression. 

But heaven wouldn't have left his throat dry, his body famished. It wouldn't have left his head throbbing in pain with every heartbeat. Indeed, if this was heaven he dreaded to think what hell was like. 

He was still mortal. 

_'Kasumi.'_

Hayate sat up and a small, damp towel fell from his forehead. Even in his dazed state, the Shinobi's reflexes allowed him to catch it before it reached his lap. He looked about the darkened room as it came into focus; It was small, a mere three tatami in size with a tiny window and a single Shoji door. Incense had been burnt here in recent and he found it soothing, perhaps the reason his senses were still dampened. What looked like a tub of water lay at the side. 

Then he saw it, the second futon beside him. Hayate was certain it contained the answer to the question that had been on his mind since he regained consciousness. 'Kasumi?' he whispered in silence, mouth too dry to form audible words. 

He leaned over to find out if she was awake, then fell back as his mind reeled from shock. The person that lay asleep beside him wasn't Kasumi, wasn't even female. He tore down the blanket covering the body; A tall man, six foot in height and about one hundred and sixty pounds in weight, physique honed from years of martial arts and strength training. His eyes fixated on the man's visage: a mirror image of his own. 

_'A clone!'_ Hayate's thoughts swept back to Schwarzwald and all that had taken place there: The experiments, the doppelgangers, and the violation of his sister's genes as well as his own. But there was more to it. Things didn't feel right. 

Something was wrong. 

"What's happening to..." Hayate clapped his hand over his mouth before the words were all out, eyes coming wide, shocked at what he'd just heard. _'No, it can't be.'_ he thought. 

He took a deep breath, "What is happening to me?" he said aloud to himself, and there it was; His voice was higher pitched, so dulcet, smoother without a hint of that masculine texture. It was so familiar, so feminine, so like... 

"Kasumi-Chan?" he turned at another female voice from behind the Shoji. A second later, Ryu's fiancee of several years Irene Liu parted the screen an inch to peek within. 

"Oh thank goodness, Kasumi! You're finally awake!" she gushed in her unmistakable Chinese accent. Hayate could only stare at her, speechless as the pretty Asian woman slid the door down the remainder of its track and beamed at him in her flared jeans and cropped T-shirt. "We were getting so worried! Oh, I'll go tell Ryu!" and with that she pattered off in her slippers, leaving him in stunned silence. There was no doubt that Irene had addressed him...as **Kasumi.**

"No...This is impossible!" Hayate whispered to himself, shaking hands wrenching apart his yukata. 

Breasts! Feminine and full! His breasts! Warm flesh that was sensitive to the touch as he clutched it! 

_'This has to be a trick! It's got to be!'_ He swept his gaze to the sleeping body on the futon beside him. _'I was wounded! We can't both be marked'_ he thought, mind running wild in search of a logical explanation. 

His hands tore open the folds of the man's thin robe, trembling fingers trailing down the hard, muscled thigh of the man's body then finding the deep, swollen scar that had suffered a poisoned quill not so long ago. The Shinobi shook his head, hearing his sister's choked voice echoing his thoughts. "Oh god, ohhh god..." 

His other hand quivered as it dipped down the front of his new body for the final test. Hayate felt the soft silkiness of his sister's skin, his fingers passing over the bare pubes. Then his eyes squeezed shut at the newfound sensations, finding that portion of himself missing, instead finding... 

"...ahem..." 

The Tenshin Mon leader jerked up at the sound of a throat clearing. The tall, handsome, pony tailed man leaned against the doorway was only too familiar. Arms folded over the front of his sleeveless shirt, a hand obscured his mouth as he stood in silence. Shadowed eyes glanced up at Hayate before blinking and dipping down once more. 

"Ryu..." came Hayate's whisper, relief in his voice, managing the slightest of smiles. Then he realised why his friend hadn't moved; His own robe was spread open, exposing his female chest to the world. One hand remained glued to his crotch, the other pressed at his original body's thigh. 

His hands drew back in a flash, snatching the folds of the yukata together. Hayate felt as though his gaze would burn a hole through the mat, his face hot from the flush. 

"Kasumi-san. Did you rest well?" began Ryu, kind enough not to comment as he knelt on the mat beside him. 

Answers! He needed answers! Hayate drew a shaking breath, raising his eyes to meet the man's gaze. It took most of his strength to hold himself back from grabbing and shaking Ryu whilst screaming questions. Watching the warm smile etched on Ryu's lips fade, Hayate was sure the other Shinobi could tell that something was amiss. 

Hayate took a few seconds to calm himself before he could speak. "Close the door, Ryu." he whispered, still uneasy at the sweetened sound of his new voice. 

Ryu turned about without shifting from his position and slid the Shoji close. "How do you feel?" his smile returned, but Hayate could feel the Shinobi's eyes bearing down on him like a hawk. 

"What happened down there, Ryu." Hayate asked, brushing aside his friend's question, bypassing all the normal courtesies, desperate for some clue...any clue. 

His friend's features knotted in a slight frown, "When I finally came to in that cave, you were both out. I carried you to the surface first, then I went back for your brother." Ryu let out a soft laugh, "He's a ton that guy." 

Hayate frowned, "The demon?" 

Ryu shook his head, "Vanished, without a trace." 

The Tenshin Mon Leader closed his eyes as a silent curse crossed his mind. There was nothing to confirm that they had indeed accomplished their mission. He stroked a longer than usual lock of reddish-brown hair from his face. "How long..." he began. 

"Three days." said Ryu, anticipating the question. "We were beginning to think that you weren't going to come out of it either." 

Hayate lowered his eyes to the face of the body beside him. Not even in his wildest thoughts had the possibility of something like this crossed his mind, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible. It had to be the pendant; Somehow, it had given life rather than taking it. And much as he was thankful for that, he was now trapped within Kasumi's body. And as for his sister... 

Ryu spoke again, as though reading his thoughts, "I won't lie to you, Kasumi. He's in a bad way." 

Hayate looked closer at his former body; He could feel the heat radiating from it, sweat beaded about the face and neck. Reaching over, he rinsed the towelette from the man's forehead before wiping the perspiration away. Somewhere within that comatose body lay his sister's soul, unable to move or speak, perhaps even think. 

"He's been at 42C (107F) since that day." came Ryu's whisper. 

Hayate nodded, the memory of the quill wound still fresh in his memory. "The poison." 

Another moment of silence, "Your brother protected you well in there." said his best friend. 

Hayate's mind flashed back to that forsaken cave, eyes closing as he recalled Kasumi's blatant refusal to leave him, "Perhaps my sibling loves me too much." 

"That's a little harsh, Kasumi. He would gladly have given his life for you." came Ryu's reply in defence, accompanied by a frown. 

Hayate let out a sigh; On one hand he was grateful for Kasumi and himself having been spared from death. On the other, he feared for her soul, trapped within a body that could soon succumb to the poison raging within. He had to find the answer to this. Ryu was going to have to know if he was to ask his help. 

"Ryu." he collected his thoughts with a deep breath, "I'll need your help on a few things." 

His best friend gave him a grin, "I'll just add it to the long list of favours your brother owes me." a tilt of the head in jest as Hayate returned a smile of his own, "I'll try my best, Kasumi-san." stated Ryu. 

Hayate nodded, "First, Well, I don't know how it happened, but after waking up...". he paused for another breath, "We've switched bodies; I'm not Kasumi, I'm Hayate." There, it was out. He watched Ryu, not knowing what to expect. 

A frown came over the other Shinobi's brow. Then the deep green-brown eyes that he knew so well broke his gaze and Ryu smirked. 

"Look, this is nothing ground breaking compared with what we've been through in the past, Ryu." Hayate found his voice urgent, recalling how his sister had called to him at times. He drew another breath to calm himself. "Stranger things have happened no?" 

Ryu didn't answer, instead reaching into the side pocket of his loose trousers. There it was; the coin pendant, "I found it in his hands." He nodded towards Hayate's original body, "I guess that means **Your** hands now?" 

"You know what it does then." said Hayate, eyes locked upon the shining silver pendant in his friend's palm. "So you're saying you believe me?" he asked as he looked up. 

The Hayabusa Shinobi met his eyes after with a hardened gaze. "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. I want proof before I agree to anything." 

"What can't you trust Kasumi with, Ryu? Just what would she try to pull?" Hayate felt the frown flare across his forehead in defence of his sister. 

"It's not Kasumi I don't trust." came the reply with that same icy stare. "It's Zwei." 

Hayate paused. He hadn't thought of that. His sister's clone was unpredictable in her behaviour and he himself wouldn't have put this past her; Ryu had every right to be suspicious. "Alright, I understand." he conceded with a nod. 

Ryu turned towards the door, sliding forwards on hands and knees as was customary in a bedroom, "You're still tired; get some rest. I'll come back for you in a few hours." Hayate nodded again, dropping his gaze as he exhaled in a sigh. Lethargy was sapping his energy and it would take several days for Kasumi's body metabolism to return to normal. 

"Oh, and Hayate..." 

The Tenshin Mon leader caught the flash of movement from the corner of his eye, right hand moving up in instinct. He snatched the thrown pendant from the air, eyes flashing to Ryu after. 

"First test." said Ryu with a wink before he slid the Shoji closed behind him. Hayate frowned to himself, then smirked. His sister and he were right handed. 

Her clone Zwei was left-handed. 

***** 

Ryu's backyard, if it could be called that. A tiny clearing in the expansive forest shared by Honshu's northern prefectures. The dying light of the setting sun cast a reddish-gold hue on the surrounding trees, flickering through patterned leaves to shimmer off the sparse snow on the ground. The chilled air was sweet and clean here, untainted by the fumes and odours of the city. Hayate would have liked to take the time to appreciate the poetic beauty of the scene, but there were other matters that had his attention for now. 

The old Kunoichi uniform was tight about his chest and hips, proof that women of Japan were less voluptuous in days past. Each time he drew breath, he suffered the discomfort of having those twin mounds at his chest compressed against the greyish-blue material. As it was, Hayate couldn't help but wonder just how Kasumi moved in sprints, bounds and flips whilst burdened by these unfamiliar weights. He covered his mouth to stifle a cough; the smell of camphor was an unsubtle reminder that the uniform had spent the better part of the last sixty years in a mothball filled chest. 

Nevertheless, It would have to do for now. Hayate reached back to check the ribbon tie, taut at the base of his waist length ponytail. His sister maintained it in prime condition, impressive when one considered the amount of time she spent outdoors. He hoped Irene to be able to help with a braid later though. A final tug and he signalled his readiness to the Shinobi a short distance away with a nod, eyes affixed on the Bokken (wooden swords) in the man's hands. 

In non-traditional form, Ryu tossed Hayate's blade across to him in a gentle arc. The Tenshin Mon leader caught it single handed, testing it's balance as he spun it once, holding it at his waist in readiness, crouching low. Despite having to get used to this new body, Hayate felt so fleet of foot, so flexible and light that there was nothing acrobatic he felt he couldn't accomplish. 

"Three years ago I taught you an unorthodox method of attacking." said Ryu. His eyes flashed, beckoning. "Show me." 

Swords held waist level, they bowed to each other before facing off. Hayate drew the sword, holding it in a defensive stance. He took a second to recall the form then raised the blade to an offensive position as he moved in. 

He swung a diagonal slash at Ryu, the simplest of attacks. The other Shinobi raised his sword to deflect the blow but it never came; Hayate's blade stopping short by less than an inch. Within the same heartbeat, Hayate had shifted back, blade curved upside down some distance away though the point was aimed between his opponent's eyes in intimidation. 

A step forward prompted the typical response of Ryu shifting back into a defensive position. Hayate had anticipated this, knowing he controlled the situation. The idea was to confuse and pressure the opponent into making a mistake, not something he knew Ryu to make often. But this was a test, and as he stepped in once more, Ryu attempted an impatient sweep at his blade, presenting the error of a novice. 

This part was crucial; Hayate switched his grip to his non-dominant hand on the handle as he sidestepped, then burst forward, touching the blade edge of his bokken to the back of Ryu's neck as he passed. 

Heart lightened, he turned, lowering his sword as Ryu did the same. There was a smile etched on the Hayabusa Shinobi's face and Hayate returned it along with the bow that followed, confident he'd passed this test. He returned the bokken in the same fashion it was offered with a graceful throw. Ryu placed them to the side, then nodded. "Last test.". Once again, another bow. 

Hayate could only guess at what his friend had in mind as he mimicked the bow. He guessed right; the blur of motion at the corner of his eye confirmation. 

The Shinobi flicked his head aside to see a hand swipe the area where his neck had been, arms coming up to deflect another flat palm strike. Ryu swung his body about and Hayate's knee rose up in reflex, leg absorbing the sting of another low swiping chop there. He knew the next one from experience and unleashed his own counter strike, catching Ryu on the inside of his elbow with a sweeping chop of his own. With newfound speed the Tenshin Mon leader followed through with an open palm strike, connecting hard with Ryu's hardened chest. His opponent withdrew with a back pedal and he did the same with a backflip. 

"Some warning that was, Ryu." Hayate panted as he swept the hair from his face, adrenaline surging through his body. His arm and thigh were already burning and he knew there was more to come yet. He was also beginning to see the limitations of his sister's body. He had the dexterity to evade or even counter most of Ryu's physical attacks but the Tenshin Mon style that he'd mastered was for someone of his original build and power. Much as he knew the base principles of the Kunoichi form that Kasumi excelled in, execution was something else altogether. 

Ryu grinned at him, brushing off the front of his shirt as though in mockery. "Kasumi always liked surprises, my friend. I thought you'd appreciate the same!" he cried, sprinting forward to cover the distance between them in a split second. 

Hayate didn't like being rushed. It meant losing the initiative and being pushed for a response; Only a matter of time before he made a mistake. He evaded the next two punches with ease but then Ryu launched into his Raging Hawk. His first instinct was to block the oncoming kicks but the sting on his arm cried out otherwise. He shifted back at the last moment, the reverse roundhouse missing his head by inches. But he was caught in a poor position; the side kick that followed slammed his arms hard enough to break his stance, though not his guard. 

Still, the force of the blow stunned him, sending his lighter, female body back several feet through the air to land on the unwelcome cold and wet of the snow covered ground . Hayate focused, using his enhanced prowess to force sore limbs into motion and roll with the impact. He came back upon his feet, the clinging chill from his soaked clothing gripping his tense body, only allowing the release of his breath in short, shallow pants. Numb fingers clawed damp, soiled hair from his face, the Tenshin Mon Leader grimacing as the ache in his arms intensified. His opponent stood with his own arms folded, a smug grin on his face. "Had enough?" came the taunt, punctuated by the subtle arch of an eyebrow. 

Hayate was sure his glare said it all. The rivalry between the two Shinobi stemmed back several years to their teens and to him, this body switch changed nothing. This wasn't about Ryu's test any longer; this was Shinobi versus Shinobi, Clan versus Clan, Tenshin Mon versus Hayabusa. His friend had never gone easy on him in the past and Hayate neither expected nor wanted Ryu to hold back now. 

He watched Ryu's stance, the angle of his body as the Shinobi sprung forward, winding up for one more attack. The world contracted in an instant around Hayate as he closed his eyes, mind focusing on the ground behind Ryu. The shift took him faster than he was used to in the brief nauseating body pull that he'd trained himself to ignore. As his vision swept back to him, the Shinobi found himself facing the swirl of black feathers where he'd stood less than a second before. 

But Ryu was gone, and it was only then that he saw it; the cloud of leaves expanding out from behind the feathers. It was too late as the steel grip of his opponent caught hold of his shoulder from behind. The open palm slammed into his lower back, forcing a feminine yelp from his throat. His smaller, lighter body was catapulted into the air, blinded, winded. 

Hayate floated in a dream state with the circle of snow frosted treetops twisting in his view, the wind whistling past, mind rushing to catch up with his body. A split second later, gravity returned and he felt the iron grip of Ryu's arms about his supple waist. "Game's over, little girl..." whispered the other Shinobi in his ear as the ground rushed up at them. 

"Not if I can help it!" Hayate muttered, eyes closing. Once more, his mind whirled; the shift bringing him upon the wet ground several feet from where Ryu was due to land. The Hayabusa Shinobi had already righted himself in a mid-air flip, back facing him on descending. Hayate gave no chances as he launched himself forwards into a dive roll, springing off his hands to kick out with both feet. 

He caught Ryu just before the other Shinobi touched ground, the flattened soles of his sandals crashing into the man's back. His opponent was sent sprawling forwards into the slippery, wet dirt, grunting as he tumbled several times over. Hayate himself found this new female body nimble enough to flip back off the impact, coming to rest in a low crouching position as the black feathers from his last shift floated down about him. He was exhausted, the nausea from the twin shifts taking longer than usual to subside, evidence that he still needed to heal. 

A long groan reached him from the Shinobi face down several feet away. A groan...that turned into a chuckle. Hayate crawled forwards on hands and knees, a smile on his face. The test was over. 

"Oh...I can't believe it, it **Is** you!" blurted Ryu, his body shaking with laughter. "You **Are** a girl!" 

Hayate grimaced, feeling the heat of the blush on his cheeks. He offered one of the black feathers in hand, "I hope that's proof enough." 

His friend sat up to face him and Hayate stifled a giggle at the mud caked on one of Ryu's cheeks. It was strange, it seemed as though his own motions and gestures were becoming more feminine by nature. 

They embraced each other, the awkwardness sinking in as Hayate felt the fullness of his bosom crushed up against the steel of his friend's chest. A light slap at his back eased the situation and Ryu whispered to him "It's good to see you again, old friend...much as you've smelt better." 

Hayate snickered, knowing Ryu was referring to the camphor smell. "And thou, old friend. It's not everyday I get to dress in your Grandmother's clothes, you know." he replied through the smile at his lips. They laughed, though he knew there was still the issue of his sister trapped within his comatose body...but before he could voice this, the thought was thrown aside by something that tugged at his senses. 

The warning came too late. 

"Ryu Hayabusa! What the hell are you doing with Kasumi!?" shrieked Irene's voice from the house before she swooped down upon them like an eagle upon two helpless mice. 

"Oh shit." Ryu managed before Hayate was dragged off to the side, 

"Kasumi-Chan, go and take a bath. I'll be with you in a moment." hissed Irene. Hayate couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel the immense tension in her voice. Irene sounded twenty years older and just by looking at Ryu's guilty expression he could tell she was giving her fiance the darkest of glares. 

"A-ano, Irene Nee-san?" he asked, having thought of something to say in defence of Ryu. 

" **Now.** Please, Kasumi-Chan." came the firm response that suggested he didn't want Irene to repeat herself once more. Hayate obeyed, mouthing a silent 'sorry' to Ryu. He returned to the green and black wood home, saying a quiet prayer for his best friend as Ryu's stuttering explanation began, drowned out by Irene's shrill voice only a moment after. 

The Hayabusa Shinobi was foremost amongst his clan, suffering countless injuries, vanquishing demons from every corner of the earth and even the underworld. He'd faced certain death several times and there was little that fazed him. But Shinobi were still mortal...and every mortal man carried with him some form of fear, in the face of which they powerless. 

To Ryu Hayabusa, that fear came in the form of Irene Liu. 

************************** 

************************** 

**Author's Notes:**

Tatami - Straw mats used as flooring in Japan. Each Tatami is about 1 x 2 metres or 3 x 6 ft - the room is about 6 x 9 ft in size. (I lived in a room that was about 2 1/2 tatami in Japan for 4 weeks. That's barely enough for one person. 3 Tatami for 2 ppl, esp with someone of Hayate's size is really too small - you get the idea.) 

Bokken - Practice swords made from wood. Like what Tatewaki Kunou from Ranma 1/2 uses - you know... 

Palms, palms and more palms - Why the hell are Ryu and Hayate using mostly palms against each other? Less damage - they're not out to kill each other. Using a palm strike against someone as opposed to a fist will tend to push them away rather than strike for damage. Also takes a little more skill to use. 

Raging Hawk - F+K, K or just P,P,K,K (The kick section is the Raging Hawk). As mentioned it's a hopping reverse roundhouse followed by a side kick. 

**Replies:**

Crystaline Tears: Hey there! Here's that boost you were asking for. Much as it's been EONS. (I was overseas ok? *^^*) Well, she wasn't 'quite' successful this time around...but she's been great in keeping in touch whilst I was away from home in the Land of the Rising Sun. (smile) Can I trust you to keep her on her toes on keeping me on mine? *grin* 

Tiger Eyes: Hello there, little putty tat...(wavies). Thanks for your time again. I know I didn't tell you much about it but well, I think you wouldn't have enjoyed it as much had I given you snippets B4 hand. Till next email *^^* 

Xtream1/S-Charger: Not quite *^^* - good guess though. Thanks for the time Dude! 

Tiger5913: Eep! (Keeps hitting Censor button down for duration of profanity) Phew...is it over yet? Yeah - I thought you gone for good actually. 

AWSX: Hola! How's things over your side? Good I hope (smile) Well - now you have the answer...they didn't ALL die :P Just...some complications :P (snuggle) I won't be drawing for quite a while yet methinks. Need LOTSA time. Ok...till next!!! 

Hayabusa the Legend: Thanks for you time on this dude. Nah - that wasn't a twist. THIS (what you just read) is a little more of a twist. Hope you didn't lose too much interest in the meantime. I know it's been 13 weeks - but hey...I've been in Japan. Sorry though. OK - I hereby swear (now that I have Chap 5 up) that I'll get my lazy ass off the ground and review one of this guy's fics. Hold me to that TigerEyes. 

Preacher: (Huggles) Hey! Hope you've been well, my friend. Thanks for the time and the kind comments once again. I noticed you'd been a little busy ficwise too - I'll have to get my bottom into gear (as above) and review a little. Sorry if I've been like a ghost recently :P Anyhows, hoped you enjoyed the chapter! 

AMI: Thanks dude. I've read your stuff here and on Neotaku as well and have to say you've got some pretty decent stuff yourself (Esp the fight scenes). Hope you enjoyed the latest!! 

Sea of Dreams: Hardly my friend. I've been overseas so that's kind of made sure that ANYBODY who wanted to read this could. :P Ayane hmm? Stay tuned and I'll see what I can do (smile). I think this answers your question on the three of them? (wink) Till next my friend. 

Chisha: Ah, ma petit soeur. (wink) I guess you can sleep now? 

Doomhammer: Heaven forbid indeed! PLEASE don't read any more :P 

Rei Takagi: Glad you enjoyed it (smile) Hope you got to read this one too (Well, I guess you did if you're reading this so...um...yeah *grin*) . 

Well, I've been to Japan and I'm back now after 5 weeks there. Lots of material for lots of fanfics. To summarise I can I'm well-learned with quite a few things over there now (smile). As always, sorry to keep yous all waiting so long. But I hope this chapter kind of made up for it. It's extra long, kinda like 2 chapters stuck into 1 and there's nice little twist there to it too. Don't think any of you were expecting that hmm? (wink) Anyhows, thanks for your time y'all. Till next chapter. 

My Rant   
Ko-Chan 


	6. The Road Home: The Waiting Game

**The Facing Side of the Coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 6: The Road Home: The waiting game

**Author's Note:** It's been just over 2 years since I updated. Yes - 2 years, 24 months, 730 days. Don't ask. In case you haven't read the 1st 5 chapters, Hayate is now trapped in Kasumi's body. Wanna to know how/why? Head back to Chapter 1 and read from there :) Otherwise, on with the show. Just thought I should clear that up first though.

* * *

"Her brother's in a coma and you're making out with her in our backyard?" Irene's voice was as shrill, as piercing as Hayate had ever heard it. He eavesdropped from behind the Shoji door frame, listening with closed eyes. 

"That's not what happened, Irene! You and your snap judgments! Always jumping to conclusions!" Ryu swung back, voice thick with defense. "Training; that's all it was and you've never objected to that in the past!"

"The girl's been comatose for three days! She's meant to be resting! And you've always trained with her brother before! Why such an interest in her all of a sudden, Ryu?" Irene seemed to want for nothing less than to have Ryu backed into a corner.

"What the hell does it matter whether it's Kasumi or Hayate?"

Hayate rolled his eyes behind closed eyelids, _'Just tell her the truth, Ryu. Makes it easier on us all.'_ Not that it was going to be simple for Irene to accept it.

"What does she mean to you, Ryu? You went out looking for her months back. What did you do when you found her?"

The hiss that followed was the sound of Ryu's short fuse an inch from its end, "I **told** you she ran from me. There's nothing between Kasumi and I, You have my word on it." his voice was stern, coated with a hard sense of finality.

Both sides had exhausted their respective salvos. It was Irene's voice that sounded first after a brief ceasefire, tone softened. "Ryu, I'd forgive you if you strayed. I'd even understand; She's young, beautiful, a free spirit...just like I used to think of you. Her naivety and child-like innocence I myself find irresistible. But whatever's going on, I'd much rather know now than later, and I think I deserve to hear it straight from you." one last attempt to coax a confession from him.

And Ryu lay his final card down in a calm, clear voice. "There's nothing between us and that's the truth. You'll just need to trust me, Irene."

That silence again. Hayate felt the pang of guilt as a muffled sob from Irene followed.

"Irene, I've told you that I'm content with you. There's no reason for me to pursue any other woman. Look, we were just training..." from his tone, Hayate knew Ryu was feeling the guilt jabbing into him as well.

"It doesn't matter Ryu...just do as you please. I don't care anymore." Irene's voice was choked as she stormed off...

...in rather; towards the very door Hayate had hid behind. Muscles came tense and this sleek new body was moving even before his mind gave it direction. The darkened walls of the corridors flew past as he sprinted for the bathroom on his sister's nimble toes. He clicked the bathroom screen shut just as Irene slid the far entrance open.

The obi at his waist came loose with a tug and was discarded with the Gi it secured. He forced himself to ignore the feminine traits of his sister's body and followed with the dark pants. These were kicked into a heap and he almost tripped over them in his haste to get through the next shoji.

Shadows danced around the wooden walls from the flickering light of the paraffin lamp. The air was sweet, scented of oriental spices from a porcelain oil burner near the entrance; a pleasant touch to the nostalgic scene. Hayate didn't have time to take all of it in before Irene's silhouette darkened at the screen door.

He snatched up the plastic pail at the side as he knelt. A swift scoop through the water filled tub before he emptied it over his head.

A feminine gasp burst from his lips as the freezing water coursed down. Pins and needles bit into his head and shoulders, the water tensing every muscle and numbing every inch of his skin it came in contact with.

The door slid aside and Hayate looked up to meet Irene's widened eyes. From her reaction, he guessed that he looked utterly miserable, not unlike a kitten that had just crawled from a pond after having fallen in. '"Silly Girl..." she said with a sympathetic smile.

He tore his eyes from her body, face burning with the image of her matured nudity as she settled the kettle in one hand down with a clank. "That's cold." came her whisper, a warm hand coming to rest at his shoulder as she stated the obvious.

He was shivering from the cold at first. But the warm tingling that flowed from her hand spread throughout him. He wondered if this was arousal, then forced the thought from his mind.

His eyes traced the steam that rose as Irene knelt to add boiled water to the tub. Instinct betrayed reason and those same eyes crept across to the woman once more, wandering over her body. She lacked the fresh youth and delicate purity that was his sister but there was no doubt about it, Irene Liu was beautiful.

Hers was the beauty of a woman that was still in her prime; full bosom and widened hips crying for motherhood. High cheekbones and the subtle marks of light aging graced her pretty face. A ripened fruit that was still pleasing to the eye...and Ryu had been fortunate to have plucked her.

But couples had their tests. Her reddened eyes and the tell tale sniffle were evidence of the argument with Ryu. The former she'd attempted to mask with a quick palmful of water upon her face. He felt the flush of arousal making its way to the surface and berated his mind for straying again. It wasn't right to look upon his best friend's wife in such a manner.

She turned to him with a smile and he couldn't meet her eyes, choosing instead to trace the shadow-darkened red of the cedar floor with his gaze. "Are you alright, Kasumi-Chan?" came Irene's voice.

The sensual feel of Irene's hand coaxed his eyes closed, her gentle fingers stroking his long wave of hair over his shoulder. Hayate replied to her question with a nod as a sigh left his lips. The tension melted away like ice as he welcomed the wash of heated water she poured over him.

The velvet wetness of a bath sponge eased over his back, accompanied by Irene's soft voice whispering for him to relax.

"You've got such beautiful skin. And all that training keeps you in shape..." the older woman mused. "...such...shape."

Hayate heard it in her voice, had seen it in her eyes. Irene was comparing his sister's charms to her own. He had no doubt that the suspicion of an affair would have clouded her mind by now. The possibility tugged at him but he batted it aside. Ryu had made a promise, one that Hayate had trusted him to keep. An affair with Kasumi would have been a betrayal of that trust, a blatant violation of their friendship.

More warm water washed over his back and he took the offered sponge to finish cleaning himself with rushed, almost frantic motions. The less he touched himself the better. They both eased into the bath after and Hayate endured a long moment of silence before Irene spoke.

"Things aren't so good between Ryu and I." Irene had her eyes cast at a darkened corner at the side, her gaze blank, distant. "He spends so much time away from home these days. And each time he straps on that sword, I find myself wondering if he'll come back to me alive or in an urn...if he comes back at all."

Hayate sank lower in the water with the onset of guilt. He had been the one to convince Ryu on taking on the mission in the first place. "Ryu...ah...Hayabusa-san is very good at what he does. Irene-Nee shouldn't be worried ne?" Skills were one thing, luck was another. That last mission had been too close a call; he thought it best unmentioned.

"Don't you wish you could live a peaceful life out of the clan as well, Kasumi-Chan?"

Hayate wished for little more than secluded peace with those he cared most for. But as the Leader of the Mugen Tenshin Clan, he had responsibilities he could not ignore. He chose his words with care, "Some things I think I can do better from inside the clan...like protecting the ones I love."

A genuine smile crept across Irene's lips. There was envy in her voice as she spoke. "You're so lucky. Kasumi-Chan. Your Brother is so caring. He'd never let anything happen to you."

Hayate bit his lower lip. Right now, he was powerless to even return his sister her body.

"Ryu's never home anymore. I don't even think he'd realise if I was gone." Irene's gaze was locked at the shadowed corner again, as though confiding in a hidden being there.

"Chigaimasu, Ryu talks about you all the time...um...to us." Hayate almost rolled his eyes at the tongue slip, then took a deep breath, thinking of how his sister might have answered. "Our men, they need us to be strong for them, need someone for them to come home to ne?" it was something he'd always felt, but something few men would ever admit to.

"Ryu doesn't need me anymore." whispered the other woman. "He wasn't the same again after what happened two years back." Irene's eyes were dense, heavy with emotion. "He's searching for the same thing he was before he met me...freedom."

Hayate knew well of the massacre that had befallen the Hayabusa village two years ago. In his vengeance, Ryu had unleashed the full wrath of the Dragon Sword upon the Vigoor Empire without restraint, culminating in the destruction of the Emperor, the Imperial Palace as well as half the City of Tairon. Revenge had come at a price; Ryu had lost part of himself there, something intangible, irreplaceable. It was as Irene had said; Ryu hadn't been the same since.

"He hasn't had easy time recently." Hayate began in defence, "There's so much at risk, so much he needs to do. Things...that only he can do." the frown on Irene's brow froze his tongue.

"You seem different somehow, Kasumi." Irene was leaning forward, her piercing gaze on him making him feel even more naked than he already was.

His mind scrambled for a reply, but it came instead from his belly, purring like a tiger cub.

The furrows vanished from Irene's face and a surprised look replaced the frown, "Oh, I forgot: you must be famished." she winked, and then punctuated that with a soft laugh. "Let's finish the bath and we'll have you something nice to eat, mm?"

Hayate breathed out a sigh and returned the smile, glad for the reprieve. "Hai!" he chirped with the enthusiasm of a five-year old.

He had little doubt that the hard gaze of those dark brown eyes would ease from him for some time yet. By now, Irene would have known that something was amiss.

* * *

Dinner had so far been awkward, silent but for the clinking of chopsticks on china bowls. The small black dining table carried a single lamp, illuminating the food dishes in the center. Neither man nor wife offered the other so much as a glance across the table as they ate.

Hayate sat in the middle of that thickened silence, finding his appetite lacking despite days without food. The longer the truth was left, the less plausible it became. Irene deserved the truth and yet Hayate knew Ryu had some reason for holding back. Now just didn't seem the time for honesty.

He found himself still staring at the same slice of fish in his bowl from a minute ago. The thoughts swirling in his mind felt like they'd filled his stomach as well, leaving little space for food.

He eased a little more rice past his lips and paused for a moment as something called from his subconscious. Ryu's chopsticks were tapping the bowl at certain intervals as he ate his meal.

The untrained ear would have thought nothing of the pattern, but Ryu and himself had used and perfected the code since young.

_'Four hours'_

_'Outside'_

Hayate glanced to Irene, watching for the slightest flicker of suspicion. The woman was former CIA and there wasn't much that slipped by her.

"Gochisou sama deshita..." Hayate whispered in his sister's softened voice, pressing his hands together once, then twice more in silence to acknowledge Ryu.

"Go and rest Kasumi-Chan. You'll sleep with me tonight while Ryu watches over your Nii-san. Your things are already in my room." that tone in her voice told Hayate that it was best not to protest and he nodded in quiet agreement.

He returned to the room where his original body lay, helplessness and desperation seeping back as he entered. A quick rinse of the cloth and he smoothed away the renewed layer of sweat at the chest and face before dabbing at the cracked lips after.

_'Strange,'_ he thought as he watched his own body in torpor. _'This is what I look like at rest.' _Somehow it all seemed so familiar and his mind wound back to the incident with the excommunicated Shinobi Raidou.

His jaw and cheekbones burned with the memory of being humiliated and pounded senseless by those slaps.

His mind ached as the implosion of the 'Ren Jin Kyuu Kusatsu' between Raidou and him flooded back into his thoughts.

And his back still tingled as he thought of the last feeling he'd had before the world faded to black; that of his spine shattering against the hard, unforgiving trunk of the tree as he was flung against it from the force of the blast..

His mother Ayame had told him that Kasumi had remained by his side to care for him, until her decision to leave the clan. He understood now how she'd felt, why she'd made that decision. The agony of waiting, of being unable to do anything, yet knowing that something had to be done. It would have been torture for her, just like it tore at him now.

He leaned in to lay a kiss at the man's forehead for Kasumi. "Oyasumi...Nii-san." The words that flowed from his lips felt so natural he didn't realise them at first. He paused as the thought struck him; were Kasumi's thoughts and actions becoming part of him, just by his being in her body? He shook it from his mind; it was the role-play...from pretending to be her when Irene was about.

He rose to his feet and made for the main bedroom. The questions in his mind were relentless as they pounded for answers...sleep was not going to be easy forthcoming tonight.

* * *

  


**Author's Notes: **

Nee suffix: Short form of Nee-san. Kasumi looks up to Irene as an older sister.

Chigaimasu: Polite Disagreement - like 'No, that's wrong.'

**Replies:** Most of you probably won't read this but I shall keep my promise: Every review gets a reply.

Nemu: I miss you. It's been 2 years and well, you've grown up. :) I doubt I can get you hopping the way you did 2 years ago when you read the last chapter. Chances are you mightn't even get to see this. Perhaps you'll return to your writing one day...just like I have here...Goed Geluk.

TigerEyes: Can't believe it's been 2 years huh? You for one I think will be around for some time yet. And yes - keep the reader guessing remember? Thanks for reading once again.

Crystalline Tears: Now about that Story Arc, it's taken a while to get around that bend :p I'm heading to Japan about once every Year or so now. And hey! What happened to reminding Tiger? Hehe..

Xtreame1:Thanks for the compliments - a little slow in coming but well, it's here. And yes Xbox only 1 Great game :)

Einhardenoff: STILL haven't skipped town, though some might say I might as well have. I hadn't thought about Ranma when I wrote this, not something that can be solved by a kettle of hot water though. Ever write that x-over?

Ownerizer: Not sure if you're still about. I f so - thanks once again for the comments Uh yeah - it was Kasumi, not Hitomi ..:) hehehe. And with 9 chaps and 61K words you certainly got further than I ever did. Once again, I didn't think of Ranma whilst writing this. :) Thanks once again, should you ever read this.

Tiger5913: Ahh...the girl of limitless adverbs and mile length description, still here and still strong I see. Now onto Shadow Hearts hmm? Best of luck with your fics, Lass.

Hayabusa: 2 years too long? Um...hope not? Hehe...thanks for reading.

Ayane fan: Duly noted. :)

2nd anniversary of my last update to this fic just passed. Dead in the water? Guess not. Just...well...lots been happening. I won't make any excuses but rather just go on with updating this whenever I have the time. I'm hardly expecting any of the old readers to come back but hope the new ones amongst will find it an entertaining read. Till next chapter!

**PS - Japan was great! I've been there twice now - another trip due in Oct!**


	7. The Road Home: Consigned Fate

**The Facing Side of the Coin  
By Kochan**

Chapter 7: The Road Home: Consigned Fate

Irene and Ryu's room was three times larger than the one Hayate had awoken in, but it was still small by most standards. A double futon, a small, plain chest of drawers with a paraffin lamp providing light and a full length mirror filled an otherwise sparse room. The stack of folded clothes on the futon he recognised as Kasumi's.

He sat at the edge of the futon, knees drawn up to his chest. There was an old-fashioned bed warmer under the blankets. He leaned back against it, hearing the rattle of the coals within. His eyes settled upon the sweet, young girl in the mirror staring back.

A raise of his hand and she did the same. A girlish pose and she fluttered her long lashed doe eyes with a cute pout...

...just like Kasumi...but this wasn't his sister. Without that gentle innocence and natural grace that contrasted her true role as a Kunoichi, she may as well have been a clone...like Zwei.

Hayate rose without taking his eyes from her. The obi came loose beneath his fingers and a strange sense of arousal spread through him as the folds of the Yukata parted.

A fond reminder crossed his mind: the delightful skin of a peach easing apart to reveal the sweet flesh within. It was only at the last moment that Hayate resisted the temptation to touch his new body and pulled the Yukata closed again. He took a deep breath and chided himself; This body was sacred. To look and explore it in such manner was wrong, disrespectful.

The antique clock beside the futon read a few minutes after nine as Hayate eased under the warmth of the blankets.

It wasn't long after that Irene entered and he feigned sleep with closed eyes. The blanket was drawn up to his neck before a light kiss settled at his forehead, "Poor baby..." came the woman's voice. The room darkened as Irene snuffed the lamp wick and eased in beside him.

* * *

The minute hand hadn't seemed to have moved much since the last time he'd looked. He egged it on in silence, just as he had for the past few hours.

It was an eternity before the short hand of the clock pointed at One. The Shinobi crept out of bed in silence, finding it easy to keep noise to a minimum with this body. Cold shrouded him as he stepped through the corridor with calculated steps: Ryu had installed loose slats at random intervals to warn of intruders.

Smoke was swirling an eerie gray in the moonlight from Ryu's cigarette as Hayate stepped outside. The man was leaned against the wall of the house in the chilled darkness. Despite the cold, he was still in the loose pants and tight singlet from earlier in the evening. Snowflakes dotted the dim light of the moon as they floated down from sparse clouds above.

Hayate ensured the smoke was blowing in the other direction before he leaned against the wall beside his friend. They watched the moon until Hayate broke the silence. "I didn't know you smoked."

"I don't." Ryu cleared his throat before clarifying. "Herbs for the lungs."

Hayate blinked a stray snowflake from longer than usual lashes and decided not to pursue the contradiction; there were other things to speak of.

"You should have just told her, Ryu..." he said with a shake of his head.

"We've literally been to hell and back, Irene and I. She wants me out of that life and I don't involve her in it." Ryu took an extended drag after this, exhaling it in a long breath. "After Tairon, she made me promise not to take on High-Risk missions again. Said she'd leave me." his voice trailed off at that last comment.

Hayate turned the slightest, a frown knitting at his brow as he recalled what Ryu had mentioned about Irene being backup, or so he'd said, "You **did** tell her where we were going... didn't you?"

He got a smirk in reply and Ryu trailed his fingers through his hair as he answered, "I told her what she needed to hear. She thinks you were both in training. There was no need to mention the demon."

Hayate sighed, rubbing his hand at his forehead, "You're putting a lot at risk here."

"There are more important things at stake, my friend. And as for the thing between your sister and me..." Ryu nodded to him, "Irene needs to learn a little trust." a last puff and he crushed the glowing butt between thumb and forefinger with a sizzle.

"This is your wife we're talking about, Ryu. Not some new student you've taken under your wing and decided to tutor in the ways of the Code." Hayate shook his head, deciding against arguing and released another frosted sigh into the night sky. His tired mind set to work on the issue of the pendant as he fingered it in his hand, "I don't know how much time Kasumi has in my body. I have to find out more on the coin."

"I've asked for Murasama to come by." said Ryu. "Expert on herbal remedies. No doubt he'll know of an antidote for the poison and something about the coin as well. Helped me out in Tairon and a bit at the shop after. He'll be here in a few days."

The Hayabusa Shinobi turned and folded his arms as an icy gust of wind found its way through the trees. Hayate noticed the way Ryu's muscles bulged in the moon's fluorescence as it peeked from behind a cloud. He seemed tense about something.

As for Murasama, Hayate had never met the old man. He only knew of him through the tales from Ryu. When it came to knowledge of alchemy and relics preceding their generation, the old man had no equal. But the problem was not knowledge. The problem was time. Time was a luxury they didn't have and Hayate voiced this.

"We don't have a few days Ryu. That poison is rotting my body with every second that passes and it's taking Kasumi's soul with it!" Losing his mortal shell meant being trapped in his sister's body, but that didn't concern him as much as getting her back. He didn't care if he had to suffer or even die from the poison wracking his body, as long as Kasumi was well and safe.

"I have to get back to the Burai Zenin." Hayate continued. The answer to the coin pendant lay within their family library, he was sure of it. And that library which housed most of the books and relics was deep within the fortress keeping watch over his village. One of his few remaining hopes was that some of the underground passages leading into and out of the village hadn't been sealed, by man or nature.

"Too risky. It would be wiser to wait for Murasama. He'd be able to advise you of what needs to be done." said Ryu.

Hayate lowered his gaze to the sleet on the ground, watching the shadows shift as clouds glided past the moon overhead. Getting to the library meant stealing into a fortress that he'd made impenetrable, sneaking past guards that he'd chosen himself for their skills. Ryu wasn't exaggerating the risk, but he had to do **something**...

"Mother would know about this." Hayate's fingers were gripped tight about the coin, the only item that mattered to him now. The urgency in his sister's voice was all too apparent, paired with the desperation teeming within him, crying to get out. "She was the one who told me about the coin, years ago. If anyone knows, she would!"

"Hayate, you're in no condition to go **anywhere**." came the flat reply.

He flared at this, frustration bursting past his lips, "It's none of your damn business where the hell I go, if I go!" His voice pitched to a shriek before Ryu's hand clamped over his lips.

They both remained silent, ears perked for the slightest movement from the house that would suggest that Irene had awoken. Hayate calmed his mind, reminding himself to control his temper.

"You know just as well as I do: your own men are out there looking for Kasumi." whispered Ryu in a low, hushed tone as his fingers eased down to Hayate's chin. "Tenshin Mon has patrols all over those mountains. You're talking about traveling into the lion's cave and searching for a needle in a haystack that might not even exist? That's not courage. That's not honour. That's just suicide." Ryu was right, and Hayate hated to admit it.

He turned in defiance but Ryu's hand was firm in jerking his head back, "Throw your life away if you want, Hayate...but don't take hers with you." came the hiss, the Shinobi's hard green eyes darkening in the moonlight. "She deserves better."

Hayate pushed back with a hiss of his own and looked away, unwilling to meet the other man's gaze. He didn't know if anger was the right emotion to feel for now.

"Look." continued his friend, tone softened, "You're exhausted, you're still suffering the after effects of that cave. Most of all you're still getting accustomed to being in Kasumi's body. Do what's best for her." Ryu emphasised that last statement with a shake of his head.

"She could be lost by the time the old man arrives." he whispered more to himself than to Ryu, "I just need to do something...anything." A deep breath as he held tears back; Girl's body or not, He wasn't about to cry in front of Ryu.

His friend gave him a squeeze of reassurance at his shoulder, "Let's see what Murasama has to say."

Hayate clenched his fists hard, forcing out a hard sigh to hide a sob; It did little to ease the tension in his body. "I'll see you in the morning." he mumbled before sliding the Shoji aside with a trembling hand and returning to the corridor.

A visit to the bathroom and he sloshed extra water down the latrine in case Irene was awake. Tending to his toilet as a female was taking some getting used to.

He stopped by the room where his body lay and lit the paraffin lamp. Again he went through the ritualistic task of sponging the sweat from the man's chest and forehead with the wet cloth.

A soft, feminine sigh of exhaustion uttered from his lips as he lay his cheek down on the body's chest. He lay there listening to the heartbeat: it was slow, strong and regular.

He frowned.

_...that rhythm ..._

As though it came from a machine, a soulless shell that existed without purpose rather than a living, breathing human being.

He rose up, eyes flashing open. The answer came clear as he held the lamp closer. The deep purple of veins swollen beneath the skin surface. This despite the pale face and limbs. He dared peel an eyelid down and almost dropped the lamp as he fell back; The pupils had dilated to the extent of blackening the iris's themselves. Moreover, he'd felt the eyelid twitch under his thumb.

Hayate brought in his own sword for the final test and unsheathed a small portion of it. With one of Kasumi's long, sharp hair-pins he pricked the end of the man's finger to draw a drop of darkened blood. This he eased upon the exposed blade and narrowed his eyes as the blood bubbled away into choking smoke...just as it had in the caves.

_...The Demon..._

He exhaled in a shaking breath as the realisation sank in.

Corrupted blood coursed through the veins of the man before him. Foul blood that would raise the body from rest and animate it like a puppet before long, with the sole purpose of releasing its rot across the land.

Hayate trembled as he thought of the consequences, then the responsibilities he had as the Leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan. Sense called to destroy the body before him and reduce it to ashes in a fire without delay.

But it meant the destruction of his own body, and with it his sister's soul. The Clan would be left without a leader once again and his sister would be lost to him forever. Ryu had known this and had left the decision to him to either dispose of the body or wait for Murasama if he held hope.

He let out a soft groan as he covered his face with shaking hands. Every tick of the clock beside the futon reminded him that time was running out.

Days would pass before the old man Murasama showed and something had to be done before hand.

His eyes opened and narrowed as the idea took hold.

Hayate made his decision.

* * *

Hayate gathered his sister's belongings in silence then and used the most of her lighter, stealthier body to steal into the corridor with less sound than a mouse. The Yukata was shed for the black uniform he'd used for sparring with Ryu. Over this he donned a dark coat by the house entrance for further concealment and warmth. 

At almost four times the length of Kasumi's Tanto, his own Nodachi was heavy, as tall as her own body and required someone of considerable strength and height to wield. His sister's Tanto slid into the obi behind his waist with ease, providing for immediate access with a perfect fit.

He slid the side door open, feeling the cold wind bite into him as it had an hour before. But this time he was rewarded with the sense of freedom and the knowledge that the fate of his sister and himself were now in his own hands. The feeling warmed him from within as he drew in a deep breath.

Not even two steps onto the fresh snow before the voice startled him like a firecracker, "I thought you'd try something like this."

Hayate froze, head turning the slightest, "Don't try to stop me, Ryu."

"I didn't think I could, so I've decided to come with you instead."

He whirled to find Ryu leaned against the back wall, stroking the collar of a generic black Shinobi uniform, sword in tow. A swing of his hand and he tossed over a small sack: rations and some notes from the feel of it.

Hayate frowned. On one hand, he was glad that his friend had come to understand how much this meant to him. On the other, he knew he couldn't involve Ryu on this, "This is something I have to do alone." he whispered, his sister's voice sounding in that dulcet tone as he pleaded.

"Tenshin Mon patrols have changed every three days since you were last there, Hayate. Hajin Mon have added traps and alerts about the perimeter as well." Ryu shook his head, "You'll never get in alive, let alone undetected."

Hayate's felt the heat rise to his cheeks for the second time tonight, "And if they see you with me? You'll be branded a traitor for helping a fugitive and the Alliance between our clans will crumble!"

"They'll never know it's me. You **need** an extra pair of eyes out there, Hayate!"

Hayate stepped off with a shake of his head, "Stay with the body, I have to do this." Ryu's hand snapped at his arm and Hayate almost bared teeth as he tried to pull it back, "Let go of me, Ryu..."

Ryu shook his head, "I left a note for Irene on that. If you think I'm going to let you commit suicide like this, you've got another think coming." the Shinobi's grip was firm, showing no intention of releasing him.

Hayate glowered, fuse at its end. He slapped his other hand at Ryu's collar whilst extending his trapped arm out in a sudden jerk.

His newfound speed and reflexes were able to surprise Ryu and he pinned the Shinobi to the snow with a collar-wrist throw. But Ryu left no pause in reversing the tables and Hayate found his smaller, lighter female body being pulled down and about. A feminine grunt was forced from his lips as he was thrown hard against the icy ground with Ryu's weight atop him.

"I'm not going to ask again, Ryu." he hissed between pants. "**Let**...**Me**...**Go**." he punctuated that last word with the biggest glare he could muster, but his friend held fast and shook his head with a smirk.

Hayate flashed an eye poke up only to have his hand snatched from the air and then pinned beside him.

That he'd expected, and followed with a hard snap of his fingers against Ryu's wrist, targeting the pressure point.

He aimed a backhanded chop at Ryu's temple with the same hand but had it deflected by a reinforced Kevlar armguard. Ryu's hand snaked about to catch and nail the offending limb to the ground after. Hayate cursed within; Kasumi's body just didn't have the strength to do what he needed it to.

"Most times, I'd say 'Do as you please'. Tonight, we leave together or we don't leave at all." Ryu's tone was unemotional, those green eyes colder than the icy chill soaking at his back.

Frustration had built almost to bursting point; Ryu wasn't leaving him much choice. There wasn't time to play fair; in fact there wasn't time to play at all. Friend as Ryu was, he'd had his last warning.

Hayate closed his eyes and bit his lip, nodding as though he were admitting defeat. He drew a deep breath into his sister's lungs...then let shriek as loud as her voice would allow him.

"**Iiiiiyaaaaaaa!**...mmmmphhh..."

He'd managed a good, piercing scream of about a second before the last of it was muffled by Ryu's hand clamping over his mouth.

"What the hell are you...oof!" Ryu's eyes came wide as Hayate made the most of the opportunity to bury a lightning fast knee in Ryu's crotch. The Shinobi's grip loosened and he turned a further shade of white as the sliding door was flung open, punctuated by the cocking of a pump-action shotgun.

"Kasumi-Chan! Are you alright, Kasumi-Chan! Wha..." The urgency and concern in Irene's voice was interrupted by a shocked gasp, then followed by a sharp hiss laced in venom, "...Ryu..."

The man never had the time to curse let alone blurt out an explanation before the cast iron saucepan slammed into the side of his head.

"Kasumi-Chan! Did he do anything to you?" Irene was frantic, her eyes wide as she shoved Ryu's limp body off him with an unsympathetic foot. Then her hands were at Hayate's shoulders, shaking him hard, "Say something!"

He pulled out of the shock of witnessing such spousal brutality upon his friend and managed a weak reply, "I...I'm fine, Onee-san..."

"Did he touch you anywhere? Did he try anything with you? Because if he did..." Hayate's eyes widened as he saw Irene's knuckles come white upon the pan handle in the moonlight.

"Uh...uhm...Ryu...ah...Hayabusa-san was trying to catch a mouse...for Kasumi-Chan." he lied. Even to himself it was a pathetic excuse.

"Oh really?" the woman's voice brimmed with sarcasm. "I personally think there are much **bigger** rats to worry about here. No need to protect him, Kasumi-Chan." Hayate winced as the saucepan swung down to sound another solid **Clonk** from Ryu's head and draw yet another twitch from his body. A muttered cuss in Cantonese and Irene picked up a leg before dragging her husband's body back towards the house.

"Onee-san." Hayate called out. "I have to leave." he then whispered as his gaze traced the footprint from his Zori Sandal on the snow.

Irene dropped the leg and whirled, "Kasumi-Chan! It's Two in the morning!"

Ryu raised a trembling hand from the snow, "...no...don't let h.." he got out before he was silenced by another descent of the now thrice dented pan.

"Please take care of my sibling. I shall return soon." Hayate whispered, ignoring Irene's calls.

He launched into the snow-frosted canopy of the cedar forest and before long found the familiar sting of the wind at his face.

The cold numbed his cheeks but he ignored it, skipping from tree branch to tree branch with ease and grace he'd never thought possible.

The thrill of escape, the liberating sense of freedom and most of all, the feeling of purpose. All of this he'd longed for and now he had it.

This was Homecoming.

* * *

**  
Author's Notes:**

Zwei: A.K.A Kasumi Alpha or Kasumi X. Now freed from the control of DOATEC. Zwei remains an enigma and pledges allegiance to no one, clan or individual.

Murasama: Yes yes. The old man weapon smith whom we all love in Ninja Gaiden.

Burai Zenin: The Stage in DOAU is the courtyard out the front of the fortress/temple. The area in which you see about a hundred Shinobi assembled before Hayate in Kasumi's ending (DOA3) is also located within.

Yes - I meant to make the end of the chapter with Irene comical. Purely self-indulgent :P

**Replies:**

Nemu: It's been in draft for about two years...and it's finally seen the light of day, drastically different to how it was originally planned. One might even notice a change in my style between chapters 5 and 6. I'm still looking for that chapter that was posted - perhaps you'll give me the link sometime :) Nice to know you've gotten back into writing...I think

Little bit more bouncing material in this one perhaps All of you has grown up a little more now, and it's clear in our chats online :) And you can feel good about yourself when you read this, because I did take your suggestion to cut back on the Japanese (mostly). I've changed the dialogue about to reflect it...and found myself comfortable doing so. So there, One point to Mari ;) Thank you for the tip.

You've picked up well on Ryu. And yes - it's because of Irene. She's largely my own creation (an empty shell from the first NGs that's been filled with my ideas), and a great tool for showing that other side of Ryu whom we so rarely see. I'm also having a little fun with her, as you can see (Well versed with firearms, demolitions, espionage...and offensive cookery).

Hope you enjoyed this one, was time to get things moving again :)

Black Dragon37: And Hi there, Black Dragon 37.

I'll have to drop by and review your Soul Caliber II story sometime :)

If you read carefully, you won't notice anything from DOA3 or DOAX in there. That is...up to Chapter V anyhows. I've had to do a LOT of work to rework this chapter in. And my writing style has also changed a lot since then, mostly with the non linear plotting. Nevertheless, no - there is still budget left in this fic. And thanks for the kind welcome back ;)

That's a good point you picked up on. In terms of the timeline. Ryu's father was Go Hayabusa (Ken in the English version), killed by Jaquio when he took an energy blast for Ryu. Ryu was nigh about 16 years old for the 1st NG, so the way I write it is that it all happened in the past, and he ended up marrying Irene (I know - the whole cradle snatching thing is a little much).

Itagaki himself mentioned that the new NG was going to be ignoring the storyline from the first. I'm remaining faithful to it, and blending them as best as I can. Bottom line - I'm not taking the comment from Ryu about his father training in the woods as deciding the events of the latest NG chrnologically. Maybe it's someone he merely calls father in the clan? Who knows :) Anyhows - no bearing ;)

Quick update? Hehe...3 weeks is lightning for my schedule. I wouldn't get too used to it :) But I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter - till next!

Annie: Finally? Hehe...I'm guessing you read a little in the past. And don't worry - Ayane wil get her part. You'll notice that I'm more keen on concentrating on chars I already have rather than constantly throwing in new ones. Tend to prefer that :)

And yes ma'am, I'll try not to go AWOL again.

TigerEyes2: It's different now...trust me. On one hand makes me pleased that I didn't post it 2 years ago. Would have been atrocious :P Destiny Revival? Bring it on !

And you know me about keeping the folks in the air...even for 2 years Don't forget about the old man telling stories by the campfire.

Well, hope 3 weeks isn't too long for you :) And yes - it's good to be back.

Unforgiven Gamer: Hehe...not sure what you meant by half truths, but I try to put a few turns in the road. Yes, that part was tough - fish out of water.

Hope you enjoyed the latest!   
Till next!

Jo: Ehe...thanks for the compliments. But it takes time...a LOT of time. I'll have to get moving along with the rest of the story. This should have been finished over 5 times by now.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! 

3 weeks...one of my fastest updates yet. I wouldn't get too used to it though. It was HARD editing this. One of my hardest chapters yet. Mainly because of 2 reasons:

1) the DOA storyline has thickened somewhat since 2 years ago. I've had to modify the entire plot to make it fit 2) My style's changed. I've had to redo a lot of the story as I wasn't satisfied with the 1st draft.

With all of the plot redone and a whole lot of ideas fresh in my mind, here's hoping they'll find their way onto the web a lot quicker now.

Till next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	8. The Road Home: Mouse in the Harvest

**The Facing Side of the Coin**  
by  
**Kochan**

Chapter 8: The Road Home: Mouse in the Harvest 

Hayate had forced himself through a day and night of knee deep snow, frosted trees and icy ground before allowing himself a full rest stop. Locations had been marked on the coded notes where stashes of equipment were buried. He had shifted two feet of snow and dirt to expose the root of a dying conifer and had found the sack buried in a bed of dry leaves and moss.

Three hours later, He had left less sleep deprived with a mini water flask, some preserved rice balls, three flares and several tools including a pen torch. The notes had warned of an increase in the intensity and number of patrols and he made sure to cover the few tracks he left on closing the last ten kilometers.

Early evening had found mild fatigue seeping through to his lower limbs. His sister was used to travelling long distances at mid-pace but he had asked more of Kasumi's body than was fair. Slight nausea and dull pains had also settled in his abdomen since his awakening and He had wondered if the Carbon Dioxide poisoning had been worse than first thought.

The last streaks of sunshine had fled to the horizon, surrendering the night sky to the darkened clouds and moon upon his reaching the river. The Shinobi forced himself in to bathe, icy water sharpening his senses like a master swordsman did his blade before a battle. It also dampened any thought of arousal whilst being nude in this relative form of feminine perfection and Hayate was glad for that. However, the cramping behind his navel worsened with the pain even radiating to his lower back and thighs at times.

Stretching overhead in the distance were the two rope bridges spanning the sides of the valley, the links between his village and the rest of the world. He recognized the slow shuffle of the silhouette atop the first. The sentry, Montaro, was one of a pair of brothers who were always on bridge duty together. His twin, Kentaro, and he were only village watchmen, but more than diligent at their jobs. Their presence made crossing either of the bridges without detection impossible.

He had to enter unseen and undiscovered into his own village, something he had trained countless men to prevent from ever happening.

He needed the hidden senses of the Shinobi.

Hayate crouched behind a series of rocks and drew Kasumi's Tanto on facing the moon. It slipped from behind its cover of dark clouds and he closed his eyes to begin. The Shinobi cut the air with alternating vertical and horizontal strokes of the blade, whispering the Mantra in his sister's voice...

_...Ah! Ki! Sa, Ta, Ka, Ha, Wa, Ya, E...!_

With the passing of each word, the Shinobi felt his soul gather strength from the trees, the stream, even the rocks but most of all, from the moon's rays lavished upon his lithe, feminine form. The blade felt alive in his grasp as though thirsting for the blood of the closest living thing...

...and he fed it, carving the one word into his palm to complete the spell. Oni...Demon, to aid his passage through places fraught with peril, danger and even where malevolent beings no longer of the living wandered. Hayate slid the blade back into his sheath.

Tonight, it was he who was the ghost.

* * *

The spell made the night seem almost like day. His sister's light and fast body floated with each step, her reflexes seeming to slow time itself. The river bank provided several large rocks, branches and fallen tree logs for cover as he passed under the bridges and stole towards the waterfall. Loose stones and twigs were avoided with ease as though a guardian angel was choosing his steps and guiding his legs.

It didn't take Hayate long to reach the falls. Most of its life essence was held in icy stasis high above and it would be no more than a trickle until the Spring. The Shinobi had ascended the path behind the falls dozens of times since childhood but this time, he had to do it over cold, wet rocks glazed with ice in the dark.

He climbed blind, with only his memory to guide him and a set of Tekko-Kagi metal claws to ensure his holds. Even his enhanced sight was more harm than good with blackened rock indiscernible from dark fragile ice. He used the most of his sister's superior agility as he shifted from hold to hold, though his shorter height and limb length proved to be a disadvantage. At times he found himself stretching for rocks just beyond his reach, prompting small leaps and grabs of faith with numb fingers.

He was almost seventy meters up and just under the curved lip of the cliff after a solid hour. All had gone well until he tested for a new hold with one hand...and the other gave out beneath the metal claw. His breath caught in his throat as he found himself plummeting backwards into the pit with only sharp, jagged rocks below to break his fall.

Nausea worsened to overcome shock as his stomach contracted in even more pain. Hayate thought he had lost consciousness as his surroundings flashed out in an involuntary teleport shift. It hurled him back into the world just above the lip of the falls. Sharp ice and rocks blunted the claws and shredded his fingers, palms and forearms as he caught the edge. Two of his fingernails had almost been torn out and he bit back a pained cry on struggling to keep from slipping off.

Like cats, the Mugen Tenshin Shinobi had been trained to land falls over hundreds of meters without harm. But a drop for which one was unprepared with a next to invisible bottom proved as threatening to them as it was to the average person. Had he survived the crippling fall, they would have found his sister's broken body and he would have been good as dead.

The pounding of his heart was deafening as Hayate dragged himself over the top. He caught his breath and pondered as he stowed the claws in his uniform. Shifting into a blind area at a cliff edge in the dark was suicide, something that few would ever dare attempt even considering the circumstances. He knew of only one person that could ever manage it. Looking back down over the cliff edge confirmed his thoughts yet confused him. Pink blossom petals rather than darkened feathers were scattered on the wind. He didn't know how the shift had initiated, but the glow of Kentaro's lantern approaching in the distance prompted him to move on.

* * *

The two men stopped on the path to the village were more focused on their conversation than their patrol pattern. Hayate took the opportunity to move through the frosted trees some distance from the path, memory highlighting traps and tripwires, night sight avoiding shrubs and noisier foliage. The trees ended a short distance from where the steps through the North village wall began. He didn't have long to wait before the clouds slid their wispy fingers over the moon, giving him the darkness he needed.

The Shinobi sprinted up the wall and leapt across to the side of the steps. He hung upon the snow crusted edge in silence, prefering the slow numbing ache to the painful sting from his wounds. The cramping in his belly worsened as the intense cold of the stone sucked his body heat away. Two meters away at the top of the steps was yet another village guard. There was no mistaking the phlegm rasped cough punctuating the man's wheeze.

Toru. Cancer.

The man belched aloud and underwent another coughing fit before continuing his patrol along the perimeter. Hayate eased up in silence and crept the last steps to the top. A quick scan found the area clear and he sprinted uphill through Toru's footprints for the closest building, flattening himself against the wall.

This was the rice storehouse, holding enough food to last the village more than a year. Being uninhabited, it also served as an excellent place to dress his wounds and wait till the villagers retired for the night. The Shinobi stole up the wooden stairs to the door and the lock unlatched in seconds as the needle like Saku pick did its work. He froze at the sound of scurrying within, eyes narrowing at the thump and soft cry which followed. Footsteps crunching on fresh snow about the corner prompted him to slide the door open and take his chances with whatever was inside.

The storehouse was clean and dry, air sweet from fresh wood and rice grains. Straw bundles containing rice loomed in pyramid format seven to eight high in the darkness. The manager, Hatano, made a special effort to ensure their supply of food remained well preserved. The soft patter of rice on wood pulled his attention and Hayate peeked about the corner.

He found a child by a pile of straw bags on a new loading platform and recognized the soft whimpering. Her frantic hands were patting at the stream of rice gushing out of one bag. Several had already fallen off onto the ground. No time to waste; Hayate sprinted up to the girl, hand clamping over her mouth to stifle the scream as she whipped about.

The scrawny face, wide eyes and straggly hair confirmed his guess. It was the tailor's eight year old daughter. "Shizuka-Chan?" He whispered in his sister's voice on peeling his mask away.

"Kasumi-sama!" Shizuka surprised him with an embrace, muffling a sob of relief against his shoulder. Despite her parents being tailors, her dark clothes were torn in places and she smelt as though she hadn't washed in a week. "Please! Please don't tell them I'm here!"

The child had chosen a poor refuge; No one but the village clerks, storemen and occasional watchmen were permitted past the entrance. Any others found unsupervised within were deemed to be thieves and both they and their family subject to severe punishment.

The pull at the door caught Hayate's attention and was followed by the jingle of keys. He muffled Shizuka's panicked squeal and held her close on fomulating a plan. "Shizuka-Chan? Make more holes in the bags on this side. Quickly and quietly ne?" he whispered on patting the crop bags beside the ruptured one.

Shizuka nodded several times, producing an old, rusted Kunai spade he presumed she had brought for that very purpose. He squeezed his lithe, female form under the opposite side of the wooden platform, slashing the thick ropes holding it together to a fraction of their thickness with his sister's Tanto. The platform creaked from stress with the last cut but held...for now. He squirmed out, nodding to Shizuka at several new streams of rice. The key rattled into its lock on the other side of the door and he bit his lip, kneeling to hoist the child up on his back. As fast and as silent as he was able, Hayate darted up over the pile of bags in the next corner. He chose a darkened section of the cross beam roof to settle in just as the latch clicked and door slid open.

The darkness was eased back from the entrance by moonlight then forced away by the intimidating glow of a lantern as it was swung within. The silhouette and mannerisms of the watchman who poked his head in after were well known to everyone in the village: Yukio, infamous village pervert and gossip. Hayate reached back to squeeze at Shizuka's hip, a silent sign for her to keep extra still and quiet. The watchman had eyes for spying and ears for eavesdropping and the Shinobi didn't doubt his ability to find them with a cafeful search.

Yukio tiptoed in and stammered in his signature high pitched voice, "W-who's there?"

Nothing but the patter of rice grains answered him. His hunched figure crept towards the trickling, lantern held close to ward off the shadows. There was a slight waver in his step; no surprise as Yukio shared a deep love for the drink along with the invasion of others' privacies. He uttered a loud gasp on finding the growing piles of naked rice on the ground and lifted the lantern to find the violated, half empty crop bags still gushing their stores. A frayed rope caught the man's attention as it snapped, the platform sagging to the opposite side from weight imbalance which was getting worse every second.

_My god...Run! You fool!_ Hayate screamed in his mind.

But No! The idiot watchman even eased his head and lantern under the platform to closer inspect the source of the sound. Hayate grit his teeth, preparing to take the man's life upon his conscience as Yukio bumped his head against the underside of the shelf.

Yes, Yukio was a fool. Thank goodness he was more so a coward.

The crescendo of tearing rope ripped him from under the deathtrap and sent his lanky form scrambling for the door with a woman's scream. The Shinobi guessed the man's sense of self-preservation had overcome his curiosity just in time. Hayate smothered Shizuka's cry against the feminine swell of his bosom as three tonnes of wood, straw and rice collapsed to the ground in a tremendous crash of noise and dust, shaking the entire storehouse with the force. The impact was sufficient to dislodge several crop bags from neighbouring piles and send them rolling through all corners of the storehouse.

His eyes widened on seeing the plume of smoke at one side of the collapsed platform. It turned into the orange flare of a naked flame and he almost cried out: Yukio had left his lantern under the platform when it collapsed and the building was on its way on becoming an inferno! The Shinobi had almost leaped down from his hiding place when Yukio rushed back with that same piercing scream. A moment of frantic action akin to a dog digging in a garden of rice and Hayate relaxed as the fire succumbed. He watched as the watchman surveyed the carnage, paced back and forth with repeated whimpers of 'oh god' before running out once more into the night.

This was his chance...

"Shizuka-Chan, time to go." he whispered to the girl. She nodded with a soft 'hai' and he felt her tiny arms tighten about his neck.

He made his way through the roof support beams before lowering them to the floor beside the entrance. The wounds from the rock scrape drew a hiss from his lips but he knew the pain was just superficial. Hayate checked outside before scanning Yukio's long tracks in the snow from earlier. Sprinting within them was easy; the man was a slob and dragged his feet. They reached the far corner of the storehouse just as another lantern flare swung around to the front. Yukio and a shorter, stout man vanished within the entrance and returned after a moment. Hayate eased Shizuka down and placed a finger against her lips. A deep breath and his eyes closed. His sister's hearing was so sensitive and he made the most of it to capture the conversation.

"We do **not** have vermin, Yukio." The manager, Hatano's voice was gruff with irritance. He was a good man; diligent, polite and he ran a tight barn. Like most of the villagers, Hatano had little trust and sympathy for Yukio but tolerated him.

"Even if there were mice, they could not chew through the crop bags we use." Hatano continued.

The watchman's voice was rising to a whine, "But...but I saw it with my own eyes...Rice gushing like a stream from the bags...and the ropes..."

"Yukio-san." Hatano had silenced him with a clear, firm pronunctiation of his name. "Have you indulged in drink tonight?"

Hayate smiled behind his mask; the man indulged in drink **every** night.

"Well...what does that..." muttered Yukio.

"Is it possible..." Hatano began, holding up a hand to silence the stuttered protest. "Possible, that in your haste to inspect what you thought was a leaking bag, you knocked what was already a loose platform and brought it down?"

"No! It was ...I mean..." Yukio was no doubt beginning to doubt himself after butting the shelf with his head,

"Possible?" Repeated Hatano. "I looked at the wood and rope on that side and the ends were burnt, you're certain you didn't inspect them 'too' closely with the lantern?"

Yukio's non-sensical stammered response tapered off into silence and Hatano spoke again, "Yukio, there's a saying that I use when I deduce a situation like this. 'When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.'"

More silence and Hayate almost laughed aloud at the watchman's answer, "W-what's a zebra...?"

Hatano slapped a hand at Yukio's shoulder, "All that means is that 'The simplest explanation is often the correct one.'" said the manager. "Now, you built that shelf yourself three days ago. Clean up the mess and rebuild it by midday tomorrow. I'll send Kiyowara to help in the morning."

"But..."

"Midday, or the damaged rice comes out of your share for the month, my friend. Now goodnight." Hatano's footsteps faded out before Yukio groaned like an old man and wept like an old woman.

Hayate breathed again; Shizuka and himself remained undiscovered. Most of the homes were now shrouded in darkness with their occupants having retired for the night. One less sentry on patrol also made his path to Shizuka's home easier. The guards in the watchtowers were able to cover each others' blind spots but their frosted breath in the moonlight told him when they weren't facing in his direction, allowing him to seek sanctuary in the shadows from house to house.

* * *

Hayate eased the girl down upon the raised walkway behind the small, twin-roomed, straw tatched hut. He froze at a series of hoarse coughs echoing from the far room and recalled that Shizuka's mother had been ill with Pneumonia for sometime now. Her condition had worsened with the winter as her late husband had been against any form of western based medicine including antibiotics. Even after his passing, she continued to respect his wishes...and at this rate, would soon join him.

He already suspected the answer but had to know for sure, "Shizuka-Chan? What were you doing inside there?" "You know it is forbidden for anyone to enter without permission ne?"

The girl squatted down on the walkway as her smile vanished, "I...we have no rice, Kasumi-sama..." that saddened gaze fluttered to the ground.

Hayate frowned and knelt down beside her. Taking Shizuka's hands to rub and keep warm felt natural of his sister, and now for him to do. "But what happened to your monthly ration?" the soft tinge of concern in his feminine voice made the question far less like an interrogation and he was glad for that.

Shizuka took a deep breath, "Oka-san has not been well and...after Oto-san passed away months ago, we have had nothing but porridge. Oka-san...cannot work much ne."

Hayate felt his belly cramp again with a strange sense of guilt and took a deep breath. For years, he had planned the Mugen Tenshin's political and military direction with his father Shinden. Kasumi and their mother Ayame had overseen the administrative and financial matters as well as the general wellbeing of the clan. His incapacitation at the hands of Raidou had rippled off more change and turmoil within the clan in a series of months than since its formation four hundred years ago. Without Kasumi, Ayame now had to see to the clans needs on her own. Personal visits to each of the families were no longer possible.

"Oka-san has had to lie in bed for sometime now." continued Shizuka. "She doesn't know...the rice pot has been empty for a week."

"You didn't tell...anyone?" whispered Hayate.

"No!" squealed the girl before clamping her own hand over her mouth. She whined in a desperate voice. "Please don't tell them! They...they will take me from Oka-san ne?"

It was true. A villager who was unable to work and care for themselves or their own risked having their young usurped to swell the thin ranks of the Hajin Mon Faction. Several times his mother and sister had saved a child or orphan from just such a fate by keeping silent about a family's predicament, ailment and even death. Once care of the child was passed to another family, the Hajin Mon could do nothing to claim it. Otherwise, the child faced a dark path from which there was no return. Genra, the leader of the Hajin Mon had expressed much opposition to this but had never been able prove anything more than sheer coincidence.

Hayate took Shizuka into an embrace once more, "I will have someone come for you, Shizuka-Chan. Tell no one you saw me tonight, not even your mother. And don't go into the storehouse by yourself again ne?" he slipped two of his rice balls into her hands. "Here. Omiyage for your mother and you." he whispered.

The rice balls were received with a gasp and Shizuka squeezed him hard, "Kasumi-sama! I cannot accept this!" she whispered then blinked, retrieving the old rusted Kunai to press into his hands. "Um, Oseibo...and Hai, I promise."

Hayate managed a soft laugh at this, he had offered his 'Omiyage' as a gift brought home from after a long trip. Shizuka had returned the only thing she had in her possesion to make it 'Oseibo', an occasion where gifts were exchanged during the last month of the year.

He bowed his head and whispered his thanks and the girl mirrored his actions. She flashed a bright smile before whispering in a quiet tone, "Kasumi-sama? We will see each other again ne?"

That was a promise he knew Kasumi would have a hard time keeping, but he couldn't say 'no'. "One day, Shizuka." he whispered before laying a kiss at her forehead and easing back from her. "One day..."

He waved on stealing his way towards the village well where the underground passages were rumoured to lead. His fingers stroked the silver pendant about his neck as he pondered again. Their people needed Kasumi back in so many ways, yet they as a clan were seeking to bring her life to an end.

This was the Shinobi code: Pride before Prudence.

Like so many other things in his world now, it didn't make sense at all...

* * *


End file.
